


Music Club

by shifty_cat



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Music, Musicians, Post-Game, Rated T for Vulgar Boy, The Gang Forms a Band
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-02-09 10:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 28,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18636247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shifty_cat/pseuds/shifty_cat
Summary: Makoto falls in love with contemporary jazz, and Akira makes an exciting discovery.





	1. Playlist

**Author's Note:**

> Songs referenced:
> 
> Toconoma - Relive https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XLvp2HzCtOo  
> Quasimode - Finger Tip https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EK2vOcrO9PY  
> bohemianvoodoo - Adria Blue https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gjDrEdEzfQc  
> fox capture plan - Butterfly Effect https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8cMhQ_teEoY  
> mouse on the keys - Leviathan (epilepsy warning) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=84fbU39V0Ko  
> Polkadot Stingray - Electric Public https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S5st_BGFpLI

A soft but steady rain pattered on the window of Makoto's dorm room, meaning her and Akira's plan for an afternoon trip to Inokashira Park would be postponed in lieu of another study session indoors. While their differing schedules meant spending time together was somewhat of a struggle, any time she was able to spare from classwork, it would suddenly become his most important plan for the day. His grades never seemed to falter because of it, Makoto noted with some satisfaction. She supposed that her own busy schedule left him plenty of time both for his own studies and cultivating the seemingly limitless circle of friends he somehow continued to make in his (frankly inscrutable) free time. 

Besides, half the time they were able to spend together was still spent studying, which both of them quickly found was infinitely preferable to studying alone. While Akira had always been a good student, as he spent more time with Makoto and tried to support her in the diligent pursuit of her dream, he found that studying with her was actually almost astonishingly enjoyable. They quizzed each other, they read sections of literature aloud to one another, they had intense debates about ethics. Usually they would either spend several hours studying together before going out for dinner and a movie, or spend the afternoon at the park or planetarium (or that wonderful trip to Destinyland. The model motorcycle he had given her was displayed with great pride and affection in the place of honor on Makoto's shelf, a reminder of the first time she asked to hold Akira's hand in public, which she saw as quite the significant step in their relationship), then come back to her dorm to study until he had to leave (except for those few times he was able to stay, which both of them found frustratingly rare). 

Well, maybe more like a third of their time was spent studying, as they spent an increasing amount of time on what Makoto would describe, with a bit of a blush at the thought, as "enjoying each other's company". When one of them (usually Akira. Alright, almost always Akira, but there was that one time.) decided that they had enough of their official classwork, they would suggest furthering their more personal studies, which the other would invariably find to be quite agreeable. They would pour themselves mugs of the coffee Akira brought from Leblanc and nestle together on the small couch in Makoto's dorm. Sometimes they would read to one another, this time for pleasure (sitting curled up in Akira's arms as he read Exile and the Kingdom to her was a memory Makoto found almost bafflingly exciting). Often they would simply talk about anything important happening in their lives (Akira remembered with particular fondness the boundless pride in Makoto's eyes the day she told him she had passed her Sandan exam in Aikido). All things considered, spending the afternoon indoors was a rather pleasant alternative to their planned park trip.

As Akira poured her a mug of her preferred blend from his thermos, he asked Makoto a seemingly mundane question. "You know I'm surprised we never talked about this before, but what kind of music do you like, Makoto?" 

She took the mug and thought for a moment. "Well, I don't really keep up with current trends, but aside from classical, I rather enjoy jazz. Toshiko Akiyoshi is something of a personal hero of mine. She achieved the highest honors in her field by carving her own path through determination and skill." She looked up from her mug at Akira. "Do you think that's wierd?"

Akira shook his head with a smile. "Not at all. I actually like jazz myself, although I tend to gravitate towards more contemporary groups. Lot of really cool stuff going on, good funk and fusion bands, electronic and rock influences. Here, let me show you something." He pulled out his phone and typed in Toconoma - Relive, then handed it to her. 

While the video itself seemed rather silly to her, by the time the drums kicked in she was nodding along, and when the keyboard melody began she looked up at Akira with a smile. "This is actually quite good. The syncopated jazz chords on the guitar are very crisp, and this bassline is so bouncy and fun. The keys have a very good melodic sensibility while keeping a bit of an abstract edge, and the drums almost remind me of some type of electronic dance music, but still have the expressiveness of jazz. To tell the truth, it reminds me of you."

Akira looked at her with wide eyes. "At this point I know I shouldn't be surprised at you being a genius, but right now I'm kind of just kicking myself for not talking music with you earlier."

At Akira's suggestion, they spent the rest of that rainy afternoon cuddling on Makoto's couch, following the recommended videos wherever they would take them. While she was a bit hesitant at first, having rarely in the past few years listened to music while doing what amounted to nothing else (she would usually have something playing in the background while she studied or worked out, which she considered a more justifiable use of her time), when he described it as a way for both of them to broaden their horizons, Makoto relented. Wrapped up in a blanket with a mug of coffee and Akira while they listened to jazz did seem like quite an enjoyable way to spend a rainy day, if she was being honest with herself. 

She quickly found that, while she had previously considered her love of jazz to be something of an idiosyncrasy, a sign of her not being in touch with the tastes of her peers, the contemporary jazz scene in Japan was actually quite vibrant and active. She was particularly drawn to the classy, old-school swagger and confident double bass of Quasimode's "Finger Tip" (it didn't hurt that the band looked like they could have just stepped out of one of her favorite Yakuza films), and the mellow, nostalgic acoustic guitar of bohemianvoodoo's "Adria Blue," which seemed to compliment the raindrops tapping against her window perfectly.

While Akira's tastes tended towards the more novel, she found herself quite intrigued by some of the unusual choices he seemed to favor, whether it be the fusion of symphonic and electronic elements in fox capture plan's "Butterfly Effect," or the dramatic, abstract buildup of mouse on the keys's "Leviathan" (he described it as "post-rock," which Makoto made a note to look into further). They certainly each had their own personal styles, but both took considerable pleasure in exploring the other's tastes. 

Makoto was scrolling through the related videos while Akira got up to refill their mugs when a certain thumbnail caught her attention. "Akira, do you know who Polkadot Stingray is?"

"Yea, they're... I guess you'd call them an alt-rock band, but they're honestly kind of hard to pin down, lot of jazz and funk influence. I think you'd like them. Why?" She passed the phone back to him as he handed her a fresh mug and took his place next to her on the couch. When he saw what she had been looking at, he immediately began grinning and hit play. Thirty seconds into the song he turned to her with a mischievous smirk. "You never told me you were in a band, Makoto."

She looked away bashfully. "Well... It has been quite a while." When she glanced back at Akira, he looked both shocked and thrilled. (She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him this pleasantly surprised so often in one day.)

"Wait, you play!?" 

"Yes. Well... more accurately, played. I studied cello when I was young and played bass in my junior high music club." She looked away sadly. "After... my father's passing, I wasn't much in the mood for music, and Sis encouraged me to focus more on maintaining my grades and getting into a good university, so I haven't been playing for several years now. I've thought about picking it up again, but I've been quite busy."

Akira gave her a warm, genuine smile that caused her cheeks to heat up pleasantly. "I had to leave my guitar at home when I was sent to Tokyo, so I'm pretty rusty myself, but I think it may be time for both of us to change that."

Eventually, he was able to convince her to come with him to a music store the next time they had a free afternoon together, if only to try out a few instruments and see if they were still any good. While she was initially concerned about the cost, he reminded her that they had a small fortune saved up from exploiting Pulinpa on Mementos targets during their Phantom Thief days. "I know you want to save most of it for a rainy day, but getting the chance to play with you seems like a worthy investment."

Makoto gave him a little smirk and stroked his cheek affectionately. "You know you don't need to spend money to play with me."

"You are getting way, way better at teasing me," he replied with a slight blush, eliciting a contented giggle from her.

With their plans set, Makoto glanced back at the video. "Did I... look that good in my costume?"

Akira leaned close and whispered, "even better," sending an extremely pleasurable shiver through Makoto's body.


	2. Personnel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs referenced:
> 
> Gesu no Kiwami Omone - Digital Mogura https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-sXVjsijbcY  
> Glim Spanky - Otonaninattara https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=23ySlAM_9nQ  
> Band-Maid - Alone https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=axF56i4spio
> 
> Bonus Polkadot Stingray, which unfortunately was posted after my estimated timeframe of early 2017:
> 
> Surrender https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY86QfhxsSs

As they stood waiting for the train to Ochanomizu, Makoto and Akira's phones simultaneously buzzed with a message in the Phantom Thieves group chat, which still saw some use when the gang made plans for get togethers.

Futaba: HEY! heard you guys were starting a band! I want in! σ(≧ε≦ｏ)

Makoto: We're just going to look at instruments. We aren't starting a band.

Akira: Not yet, anyway. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Makoto: Leaving aside that rather... questionable emoji, what do you play, Futaba?

Futaba: Well, I don't know that you'd call it "playing," but I've been making electronic stuff for years! I wouldn't recommend my earlier material, unless you're into, like, unbelievably depressing ambient industrial. Think Skinny Puppy meets Merzbow. Since I've been getting better, though, I feel like I could make something people might actually want to listen to! (；゜○゜)

*File Received: Prometheus_Track_4.mp3*

Akira hit play, and was greeted by what sounded like a heavily distorted rotary phone manipulated into a jaunty melody, chirping away happily over a beat that seemed to be composed of backmasked machine sounds.

"Well it's certainly... unique," Makoto offered, unsure what to make of the unusual music.

"I kind of like it," Akira responded with a grin.

Akira: Alright, I'm sold. Once we've got instruments, you're invited to practice. We'll see where things go from there.

Futaba: YESSSSS!!! I've never been in a real band before! This is gonna be awesome! ヾ（〃＾∇＾）ﾉ♪

"I'm not entirely certain I'd be able to think of something to play on a song like that." Makoto raised a knuckle to her chin in thought and gave Akira a concerned look.

Akira shrugged and gave her a reassuring smile. "I wouldn't worry too much about that. Remember, she'll be writing for you too, so we'll see how the chemistry develops. I think the important thing is that she has creative ideas. What comes out of our different inputs coming together is the exciting part." When he put it like that, Makoto thought, it did actually sound rather exciting.

Another thought occurred to Makoto as they resumed their wait. "You know, we spent a whole afternoon listening to jazz based on my interests, but I still don't know what your favorite music is. I know you said you like jazz too, but what do you primarily listen to?"

Akira thought for a moment. "Saying 'a bit of everything' seems like a massive cop-out, but it's kind of true. I just sort of absorb everything until I find something I like in every genre. I guess I mainly listen to rock, but I tend to prefer the more quirky stuff, with a lot of funk. Polkadot Stingray's really good, and I like Gesu no Kiwami Omone, who I'm not even going to try to describe." He pulled up the video for Digital Mogura and handed his phone to her.

"It's quite impressive how they're able to blend such frenetic, disparate sounds into a composition that makes sense," Makoto hummed as she listened to the eccentric funk-rock, "and their bassist is excellent."

"Yeah, I guess I've always had a thing for bands with great bass." He playfully nudged her shoulder. "Good thing I fell in love with a bassist, right?" She turned her head with a blush, but had an extremely pleased smile that Akira found very fetching.

As the song ended and Makoto handed him his phone back, Akira suddenly broke into a genuine smile. "Oh, here's one that's a bit different. This is Glim Spanky, they're more like a classic blues-rock band. They're from Nagano, and they have more of a rural vibe than some of these other bands. It kind of reminds me of my hometown." He pulled up the video for Otonaninattara and gave her the phone.

While Makoto's experience with both blues and rock was somewhat limited, she quickly felt a peculiar kinship with Remi Matsuo. "Her voice is incredible. She goes from so reserved and beautiful, almost melancholy, to so fierce and powerful."

Akira gave her a smirk. "Sounds like someone I know. No wonder I like them so much."

This time, Makoto was ready. "And the guitarist reminds me of a certain quiet, fluffy-haired delinquent I know. No wonder I like them so much." She gave him a challenging smirk of her own, and after a moment they both broke down in laughter as their train arrived.

***

As they boarded and, miraculously, found seats, another message popped up in the group chat.

Ryuji: FOR REAL!? YOU GUYS ARE MAKIN A BAND?

Makoto: That has yet to be determined. For now we need to see if we can still play with any degree of confidence.

Ryuji: well, if ya need a drummer, hit me up. I was in a punk band til effin kamoshithead messed up my leg. still have my set, but I can't play at home. I caused enough trouble for my mom without the neighbors complainin bout the noise. I still practice, y'know, rudiments and stuff with a practice pad, so I'm pretty decent!

Akira: Sounds great! We'll let you know when we've picked up instruments and figure out when and where we can get together to practice.

Futaba: I MADE SOMETHING FOR YOU! (づ￣ ³￣)づ ♪

*File Received: two_dorks_smooching.mp3*

With a sigh at the name, Makoto hit play, then looked over at Akira in surprise as a rather elegant string quartet began playing a simple but quite beautiful melody.

Futaba: See, Queen? I can make normie music too. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Makoto: This is very good, Futaba. Although I really wish you would both stop using that emoji. It just seems so... unsavory.

Akira: ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Futaba: ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Ryuji: ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

With a huge sigh, Makoto put away her phone.

Akira: Makoto says she's gonna take a break from the chat for a bit. She also says I'm the handsomest boy she ever did see.

With an even bigger sigh, Makoto pulled her phone back out.

Makoto: I saw that. And I did NOT say that.

Akira: You were thinking it though. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Makoto: ...maybe. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Futaba: brb barfing.（～Д～）＊＊＊ 

Makoto: Just out of curiosity, Ryuji, what kind of bands do you like these days. I've been learning so much about modern music with Akira lately, and I must admit it's quite exciting finding out about so many new things.

Ryuji: *Link: Band-Maid - Alone*

Ryuji: dude, they wear maid outfits, but they TOTALLY ROCK! Akane, the drummer, is SUCH AN EFFIN BADASS!

Akira: Somehow I'm whatever the exact opposite of surprised is.

Ryuji: shut up, man! I like em for their music. besides, don't you try and act all innocent.

Makoto: What's that supposed to mean?

Akira: Nothing.

Ryuji: Nothing.

Futaba: Nothing. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Makoto narrowed her eyes slightly at Akira, who gave her a sheepish grin. "We'll discuss this later."

Makoto: While I'm not entirely sure what to make of their aesthetic, Ryuji is right. This is actually quite good.

Ryuji: hell yeah! I knew you had good taste, Queen!

An automated voice rang through the train. "We are now approaching Ochanomizu Station."

Akira: This is our stop. We'll let you know how things go.

Ryuji: good luck!

Futaba: Good luck! （ﾉ｡≧◇≦）ﾉ

***

As they stepped out of the station onto Meidai Dori, the pair were overwhelmed by a flurry of sound. Music of various types was blaring from at least a half-dozen stores. In front of one, a group of punk rockers, complete with dyed hair and piercings, were having an animated discussion with a trio of young men in flashy suits that wouldn't look out of place in a Yakuza film. Down the street a ways, what appeared to be a large drum circle had formed, jamming out to some Reggae. Makoto's hand unconsciously found Akira's and their fingers intertwined. He looked over at her with a warm smile and gave her hand a reassuring little squeeze before they set off down the street, examining the seemingly endless variety of instruments on display. 

Makoto smiled as a group of young schoolchildren ran past them, chattering excitedly about what instrument they each wanted to learn. As she turned back towards Akira, a young woman eyeing a row of guitars caught her attention. She gave his hand a squeeze to get him to look, then slightly nodded in her direction. When Akira saw who she was indicating, he nodded back in confirmation. 

As the couple approached her, Makoto politely introduced herself. "Please pardon my intrusion, but are you Shizuku from Polkadot Stingray? I'm Makoto Niijima and my..." She blushed as she suddenly became aware that she had been holding Akira's hand this entire time. "...my boyfriend Akira has been introducing me to your music lately."

The woman turned to face them with an affable smile and nodded. "Mhm. We're in town for a show tonight so I figured why not swing by the music district and see if anything catches my eye. My thanks to Akira for spreading the word." She gave a friendly little bow to Akira, then tilted her head as she looked back at Makoto, seeming to have an uncanny flash of recognition for a moment. "You look like you've got something on your mind, Makoto. What's up?"

Put on the spot, Makoto stumbled for a moment. "O-oh, it's just... we recently watched the video for Electric Public, and I was wondering... if you were, um, aware of the Phantom Thieves."

"Bit on the nose, huh?" Shizuku responded with a cheeky grin. "You a fan of theirs too? We figured a group of idealistic kids standing up to corrupt authority for their own justice was a good image for a rock band. Of course, we only ever got to see their silhouettes when they took over every screen in Japan, but I thought the girl with the scarf and leather looked the coolest."

"I totally agree, she's my favorite." Akira glanced at Makoto with a subtle smirk and a playful squeeze of her hand.

"O-oh. Well, thank you... for answering my question, I mean." Makoto was desperately trying not to blush furiously. "W-well, I'm sure you're quite busy, so we should be going. Thank you again for taking the time to talk to us."

"No problem. You guys seem sweet, so it was my pleasure. Actually, hold on a second." She rummaged through her bag for a moment, then pulled out a CD and a pen, opened the case, and wrote something on the inside. "Here. It was fun getting to talk about the Thieves again." She handed the CD to Makoto before waving goodbye and heading into the store to discuss something with the clerk.

"Well she certainly seems nice," Akira hummed as he looked over at Makoto, who was staring intently at the album cover, which bore a familiar looking figure, rendered in a blocky manga style.

"Dai-Seigi..." She opened the case and read the short note inside. "To my Phellow Phans, Makoto and Akira. Never lose sight of your own justice. -Shizuku."

"Well that's... a bit uncanny, but also really cool." He gave Makoto a slightly shaken grin. "Come on, let's get to looking."

The pair meandered down the street, examining the various wares on offer, but not finding anything that jumped out as particularly "them," until they stumbled upon a small second-hand shop down an alley, where a crimson and black Telecaster hung next to an ocean turquoise Jazz Bass. Both their eyes lit up, and they looked at each other with excited grins before walking into the store to ask the clerk, "may we please try those out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akira:  
> https://shop.fender.com/en-US/electric-guitars/telecaster/american-professional-telecaster/0113060738.html
> 
> Makoto:  
> https://www.gear4music.com/us/en/Guitar-and-Bass/Fender-American-Elite-Jazz-Bass-Guitar-Ebony-Ocean-Turquoise/21QW


	3. Jam Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto plays bass. *clapping emoji* *party horn emoji*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:
> 
> Charles Mingus - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyyut4XJj3M  
> Weather Report - Birdland https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i8q6sR6yZCE  
> Jaco Pastorius - Blackbird https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd6DTRywF7Q  
> Stanley Clarke - Silly Putty https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6nYF2DJlFqg

Makoto's right hand hovered over the strings, shaking imperceptibly with anticipation, along with a fair bit of anxiety. It had been nearly four years since she had picked up a bass. Could she really do this? Would she make a fool of herself? And what would Akira think if it turned out that she could no longer play? He had seemed so excited and proud when he found out, she would feel terrible disappointing him. But she had come this far, she couldn't very well back out now. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping to steady her racing heart, then plucked the A string and turned the volume up to a reasonable level. She looked up at Akira, who was getting his own instrument set up, and he gave her a warm, reassuring smile. Alright, she could do this. She had already accomplished so much, this wasn't such a big deal.

"Should we, perhaps, begin with something simple? Maybe a 12 bar E blues?" She hoped the anxious tremble in her voice wasn't too obvious as she asked.

He nodded and began testing out chord voicings. "Sounds good to me. 1-4-1-5?"

She nodded back and adjusted her left hand to the scale, quickly running up and down an E blues a couple times to internalize the shape. Well, that didn't feel too bad. Maybe she actually could do this. She took one more deep breath and softly counted out, "1, 2, 3, 4."

She began with a simple, straightforward walking bassline, sticking to straight 4th notes as she began to get a feel for the rhythm. Akira nodded along for a few measures before coming in as she moved the root up to A, accompanying her with a bit of a laid-back swing to the chords and a few mellow licks. Once they had played through the chord progression a second time, he quickly switched pickups to lead and went into a chill, easygoing solo. Makoto smiled as she played along. He sounded quite good. She began to play around a bit more, incorporating some of his melodies and adding in a few chromatic runs through the center of the scale.

As he finished his solo with a drawn out chord, Makoto switched up the rhythm into a more defined riff, adding in more of Akira's swing feel, drawing out the root note and finishing each chord with a quick triplet run down from the 5th. As she glanced up at him, she noticed that Akira was nodding along with a broad smile. He locked into her rhythm and began adding in more subtle but playful licks. This was around the time that Makoto realized: she was having fun! Not only could she do this, she was enjoying the playful back and forth with Akira immensely. As she began to become more confident, she started experimenting more, expanding the run at the end of each chord into a series of three rapid fire triplets down from the octave. Akira gave her an impressed look and matched her lick.

After a couple repetitions of the pattern, Akira drew back, sticking to a simple strumming pattern and indicating for Makoto to take a solo. She started out slow, a couple long tones with slight flourishes connecting them, but as she grew more comfortable, her playing grew in intensity until she was blazing through tasteful but clever runs and syncing odd, slightly angular beats perfectly to Akira's rhythm. He looked on in awe for a moment before beginning to play a counter lead line, the two of them playfully weaving around each other's melodies. As Makoto wound down her solo, they traded 4s for a bit before returning to the head one more time.

After they finished, Makoto let out a long sigh. "That was actually quite enjoyable."

Akira laughed excitedly. "Makoto, you were fucking amazing!"

She gave him a shy smile, her cheeks tinged pink. "Well, it was a very simple progression, so it was easy enough to improvise over."

Akira leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, making sure not to knock the necks of their instruments, and then whispered, "You are way too modest. You know exactly how good you are. Just how good were you at bass before you quit?"

She looked away bashfully. "Well, I did practice rather diligently and played in whichever school band project I was able to be of use to. I began on cello in third grade and played in our concert band every year until three years ago when... I quit." A flash of sadness crossed her face, and she let out a sigh before continuing. "When the opportunity to play in a jazz band arose, I immediately leapt at it." She smiled fondly at the memory. "I was already very much a fan of Toshiko Akiyoshi's work in particular, and almost ended up learning jazz piano instead, but years on cello made transitioning to bass guitar the logical choice."

She began playing goodbye Pork Pie Hat. "As I began listening to jazz artists specifically to further my studies on bass, I was pretty much immediately directed to Charles Mingus. I rather liked the idea of a composer and bandleader on double bass, but I haven't had the opportunity to play much." She put a finger to her chin and looked up, thinking. "There was one in our junior high band room and playing it was quite fun, but I couldn't exactly bring it home to practice, and our jazz band tended to pick pieces that required electric, so that was what I predominantly played."

"So from there I moved to Jaco Pastorius, who is very impressive both from a mechanical and inventive standpoint, but I'll admit can be a bit abstract and over the top for my personal taste. Although some of his more traditional fusion material is quite fun to play." She started into part of Birdland, as Akira looked on in shock.

"You can play Jaco?" He asked in disbelief.

She looked up at him, a bit confused. "Of course." She began playing Blackbird. "He's one of, if not the, most notable jazz electric bassists. I couldn't very well expect our school to be competitive and not be familiar with his material."

Akira gave her a serious look. "Makoto... Exactly. How. Good. At. Bass. Are. You?"

Makoto rolled her eyes with a huff. "Fine. I was first cello in our school orchestra when we won city wide competitions for three years in a row. Our jazz band was featured on talk shows twice." She laughed a bit and started playing a bouncy slap bass line. "The time I got to play Silly Putty was by far the more memorable." She hid her face in her hands and quickly mumbled, "and I have a newspaper article cut out in my old room in Sis's apartment that describes me as a quote 'pre-teen prodigy' unquote." She gave him a bit of a glare and sighed. "There, satisfied?"

"You can play Stanley Clarke!?"

The clerk who had set them up walked over. "Hey, you kids are pretty damn good! You in a band or something?"

Akira gave Makoto a look that she would remember for years as one of her favorites in the long list of "favorite looks from Akira" that she kept a mental tally of. It began with a bit of his Joker's smirk, a look of the boundless confidence that had allowed them to change the world. But after a moment it morphed into a subtle smile of excitement for this entire new language to speak with her. And through it all there was his pride, shining through for the brilliant young woman he fell in love with.

"I think we are now."


	4. Additional Personnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Akira enjoy a frozen treat, and the band grows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:
> 
> A Crow Is White - Fake! Fake! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c-M7cvJy1IY  
> Maximum the Hormone - Yoshu Fukushu https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XeN3ivzzwbA  
> Gotsu Totsu Kotsu - Prayer of Vengeance https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XF-PCe3--6I

Akira purchased their instruments on the spot, along with small amplifiers that wouldn't be too onerous to carry around, soft cases with backpack straps, cables, tuners, and capos (Makoto noted that while using a capo on bass was somewhat uncommon, she found it useful for playing slap bass in different keys). While the total cost was by no means insignificant, Akira joked that it was nowhere near as painful as equipping the entire team with Dr. Takemi's rejuvenating adhesives, only for her to give him a 50% discount about a week later. He had managed to save up enough from his various part-time jobs, primarily tending bar at Crossroads, that he was able to pay for everything without dipping into their Phantom Thief savings. While Makoto expressed concern over him spending so much of his personal savings on her, he reassured her that room and board was covered by Sojiro, and there was nothing he would be happier spending his money on.

With their primary mission accomplished, the couple decided to check out one of the numerous jazz cafés that dotted Meidai Dori, to relax and celebrate a bit. As they entered, they noted happily that a live quartet was just setting up to begin their set. They shared a very pleased smile before finding seats and examining the menu.

"Coffee Dad always gets a bit grumpy if he finds out I've been drinking someone else's brew, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him." Akira gave her a grin and a wink, causing Makoto to giggle a bit at the thought of the indignant lecture on quality Sojiro would give them if he found out.

As she scanned the menu, something caught Makoto's attention. "Oh, they serve gelato here! I've actually never had it before. Have you, Akira?"

He shook his head. "Nope. That's like ice cream but... fancier, right?"

Makoto pulled out her phone, quickly typed something, and scrolled through a couple pages. "Hmm, it says here that the lower ratio of air to ingredients compared to other types of ice cream is responsible for gelato's characteristic density and richness." She looked up at him, a bit of an excited gleam in her eye. "Do you think we should try it?"

Akira nodded, with a slight grin at her clear excitement. "I think you've already answered that. Let's give it a shot! Broaden our horizons, right?"

When the waiter arrived to take their orders, Akira briefly questioned him regarding what beans and blends they had available, before finding brews suitable to each of their tastes. Makoto ordered a chocolate hazelnut gelato, while Akira went for a raspberry banana. As he left to put in their orders, the band began to play, going into a quiet, mellow piece, perfect for pleasant, unobtrusive background music. Makoto leaned back in her seat with a happy, satisfied expression. Then both of their phones buzzed.

Ann: Whoa, you guys are starting a band? That's so cool! Wish I could play an instrument. Oh, I have been told that I have a pretty good voice! But I don't know how much of that was legit and how much was them hitting on me... :/

Ryuji: hey, that could work! and you're like bi, right? so you could sing in english too!

Makoto: I believe you mean "bilingual," Ryuji.

Ann: Yes on both counts. But yeah, I could totally sing in English if you want!

Akira: Sounds good to me. We still need to work out when and where we can practice, but when we do you're invited. We'll see how we all sound together.

Makoto: What types of music are you interested in, Ann?

Ann: Umm, I guess "cute stuff" isn't all that descriptive. I mostly like stuff that I can kind of dance to. Lately I've been really into A Crow Is White.

Ann: *Link: A Crow Is White - Fake! Fake!*

Akira: I think I've heard them before. They're kind of funk pop, right?

Ann: Yeah, I guess you'd call them that.

Makoto: I'm afraid we can't listen to them at the moment, though. We're at a café with live music, so it would be quite rude to the band and the other patrons.

Ann: Wait, a café? Didn't boss get, like, mega grouchy last time he found out you were drinking "inferior beans"?

Akira: If he asks, we just got gelato.

Ann: YOU GOT GELATO??? Where is this café? It's important.

Makoto: Café Bella Nota, on Meidai Dori in Ochanomizu.

Ann: Ochanomizu... I think that's pretty close to where Shiho lives now! This is perfect! I don't think she's ever had gelato before, so I know where we're going the next time I visit. Thanks, Queen! I'll quit bugging you and let you get back to your date~

Makoto: It isn't... exactly a date.

Ryuji: dude, it's just the two of you, eating fancy ice cream and listening to live music together. sounds like a date to me.

Akira: I really wish you could see her expression right now.

Makoto: And I'm extremely glad that you cannot.

Futaba: Don't be so sure of that, fuhuhu~ (*＾∀ﾟ)ъ

Makoto: I cannot express how much I wish you would remove those bugs from our phones, Futaba.

Futaba: Yeah, well if wishes were fishes Mona would have a lifetime supply of fatty tuna just from thinking about ~Lady Ann~ (♥ω♥ ) ~♪

Ann: Can we please not go there? And what does that even mean?

Futaba: Heck if I know, I just heard it somewhere. Besides, if I took out my bugs, you wouldn't have a record of your Historic First Jam Session Together! ヾ（〃＾∇＾）ﾉ♪

*File Received: Queen_Goes_Ham_1.mp3*

As the waiter arrived with their orders, Makoto and Akira had a few minutes of peace while the rest of the chat listened to the recording. While the coffee wasn't quite up to Leblanc's standard, it was still quite good. The gelato, on the other hand, was delicious. Makoto let out a soft moan of bliss as she rolled a spoonful of the creamy frozen treat around in her mouth, savoring the rich, sweet flavor. She caught herself when she opened her eyes and noticed the look Akira was giving her, an enormous grin that looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh at her reaction to the dessert.

"I-it'sh quite good, donshu fink?" She asked, her cheeks turning pink. When she realized she had forgotten to swallow the bite in her embarrassment, her blush deepened exponentially.

Akira tried a bite and nodded with a hum of approval. "Wow, this is really good." He gave her a devilish smirk. "But not nearly as good as your face when you tasted it." He looked down and addressed his bowl. "Teach me your secrets, oh gelato."

Makoto giggled and gave him a smirk of her own. "Oh, please. As if you need any help."

He leaned in with a suggestive smile. "High praise indeed. Good to know that I'm at gelato level quality."

"Chocolate hazelnut quality, no less." There was a smoldering desire in her eyes as she leaned forward.

Then their chats exploded.

Ryuji: HOLY SHIT!

Futaba: I KNOW, RIGHT!? ╰(✧∇✧╰)

Ann: Whoa, this is really you guys? This is incredible!

Ryuji: QUEEN IS KILLIN IT!

Ann: Yeah, wow! No offense to you, Akira. You're really good too, but Makoto is unbelievable!

Akira: None taken, and believe me, I know. I just about had to pick my jaw up off the floor when she went into that solo. I'm going to need to get back into practice to try to keep up.

Futaba: GO, QUEEN, GO! ＼(＾▽＾*)

Makoto: Thank you all so much. It means a lot to me that you all enjoyed it. However, Akira and I are going to turn our phones off for a bit while we enjoy our gelato. We'll let you know when we're finished.

Ryuji: dude, they're probably totally making out right now!

Ann: RYUJI!

Ryuji: what? I bet they are.

Ann: I know, but you don't just write that in the group chat.

Futaba: Mona says "you lack tact, Skull." (∩❛ڡ❛∩)

***

They finished their very enjoyable meal in peace, sitting close together in their booth as they listened to the band play. Makoto insisted on paying for this and all other dates in the near future, considering Akira had just spent a small fortune on instruments and equipment for them. When he checked his remaining balance, he decided he wasn't in much of a position to argue. As they gathered up their gear and made their way back towards the station, they turned their phones back on, Makoto letting out a loud sigh at the conversation after they had left.

As they waited for the train back to Hongo, another message popped up in the chat.

Haru: Oh my, you're all forming a band? That sounds like marvelous fun! Would it be presumptuous of me to ask if you were in need of a keyboardist? 

Makoto: Not at all, Haru. Not at all presumptuous, that is. Yes, we would be interested in a keyboardist. Have you been playing for long?

Haru: Oh, yes. Father started my training from a very young age, although as time went on I believe he saw it more as a way to increase my value to potential husbands rather than as a means of developing my creativity. I am primarily trained in classical, but I've played all sorts of music, so whatever you need I will hopefully be capable of.

Ryuji: I'm almost afraid to ask, but what do you listen to, Haru?

Haru: Many things, but my true passion is for heavy metal. Lately I've been very much enjoying Maximum the Hormone. They're just so much fun!

Haru: *Link: Maximum the Hormone - Yoshu Fukushu*

Ryuji: uh, Haru, this doesn't sound so heavy...

Ryuji: AAAA WHAT THE FUCK?

Futaba: Whoa, Ryuji said fuck! Haru, this owns! What else you got? (つ◉益◉)つ

Haru: Well, when I feel the need to work out my frustrations, I rather enjoy Gotsu Totsu Kotsu. 

Haru: *Link: Gotsu Totsu Kotsu - Prayer of Vengeance*

Ryuji: you're kinda terrifying, Haru.

Haru: Thank you so much, Ryuji! That's very nice of you to say, although I still believe Makoto is the most frightening out of all of us when she wants to be.

Futaba: BRB HEADBANGING!!! \m/(◉益◉)\m/

Makoto let out a sigh as she looked over at Akira. "I have no idea what we're going to sound like."

Akira laughed and threw an affectionate arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. "Me neither."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Zinzanzelf for the idea to set this chapter in a jazz café. Check out their work, it's chocolate hazelnut quality.


	5. Appassionato

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira helps Makoto work on a problem with her playing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song:
> 
> Rush - Freewill https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OnxkfLe4G74
> 
> Since introductions are (mostly) done, there likely won't be as many direct song references going forward. So I'm going to try adding some recommendations each chapter that I either couldn't fit in or that came out too late to work for the story. Today, enjoy some Fuki, an incredible singer and all around badass.
> 
> Doll$Boxx - Take My Chance https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mu2z4Uf9Tgc  
> Unlucky Morpheus - Knight of Sword https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TiQdl2toBtg

When they made it back to her dorm, Makoto and Akira immediately set up to play together, after downloading free recording apps to ensure that any particularly good ideas wouldn't be lost. They kept their volumes relatively low, not wanting to disturb any of her neighbors who might be working (although the pounding dance music blaring from one of the rooms down the hall indicated that they probably didn't need to be quite so conscientious). They tried a little bit of everything, experimenting with different styles, keys, and rhythms.

As they went on, Akira noticed one concerning trend in Makoto's playing. While she always sounded amazing, and seemed happy and comfortable while she played, upon review she would become unreasonably critical of her own abilities, pointing out imperceptible flaws and things she wished she had done better. He had always known her to be a driven perfectionist, but her disappointed expression whenever she listened back to herself broke his heart. He wanted music to be a fun, creative activity for them to share, not a source of anxiety for her.

Deciding that this was something better talked through right off the bat than left to fester, as she went into an especially scathing critique of her performance during their latest jam, he reached over and gently rubbed her shoulder to get her attention. "Makoto, you know what impostor syndrome is." It wasn't a question.

She sighed and looked down. "A tendency of highly skilled individuals to underestimate or undervalue their own abilities because they are cognizant of subtle imperfections that someone without their skillset wouldn't notice." She glanced up at him, on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry, Akira. I don't want to make music stressful for you. I just... can't seem to play at the level I feel I should be capable of."

Akira put down his guitar and carefully removed Makoto's bass, then pulled her into a warm, loving embrace, rocking them gently and rubbing small, comforting circles on her back. When he pulled back, he wiped a tear from her cheek and gently framed her face with his hands, looking her straight in the eye and speaking softly and affectionately. "Makoto, you haven't picked up a bass in years, and earlier you were playing fucking Jaco Pastorius. You're phenomenally talented, but you don't need to be perfect. The last thing I want is for you to worry about how much you're worrying, but I can't bear to see you beating yourself up over flaws that no one who isn't a virtuoso could even hear. We aren't playing in a city-wide competition. We don't need to impress anyone. I just want you to have fun. To be happy." He tipped her chin up and gave her a light, chaste kiss. "Okay?"

For a moment it looked like Makoto was about to cry again, but then she sniffed and gave him a small smile, then wrapped her arms around Akira's waist and pulled him into a tight hug of her own, sighing as she laid her head on his chest. "Thank you, Akira. I'll try. I've just always been quite demanding of myself."

Akira smiled and gently stroked her hair. "I know, and I love how driven and passionate you are. But let this be a break from all the things that you're striving for perfection in. Let's just enjoy the chance to be creative and play with each other's ideas. Alright?"

She nodded against his chest with a smile and a contented hum. "Mm. That sounds nice."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "But for now, I think we've played enough for one day. Honestly, my fingers are killing me, and with how intensely you play I'm guessing the same goes for you. Let me see your hands." She reluctantly raised them to his face, and he noted that the first two fingers on her right hand had begun to blister. He gently took her hands in his and softly kissed her fingertips, causing her to sigh with pleasure at the gentle contact against her burning digits. "Definitely enough for today. We're both out of practice, and better to build up calluses gradually than to tear up our fingers."

Something about the sensation of Akira's kiss on her admittedly rather sore fingers flipped a switch in Makoto. She took his left hand in hers and felt the heat from his own overworked fingertips, then brought it to her lips and planted a light kiss on each of his fingers, with a coy smile at the hitch in his breathing. "Do you think we should... relax for a bit?"

***

Much later, they lay together in Makoto's bed, discussing aesthetics as they basked in the afterglow of an especially passionate episode.

"You know the idea of wabi-sabi?" Akira asked as he idly ran a hand along Makoto's bare shoulder.

She nodded as she delicately traced the subtle muscles of his abdomen with her fingers. "Mhm. Well, it's a fairly complex aesthetic concept and the exact connotations have changed over the course of history, but I suppose the short version is 'the beauty of imperfection'."

"Like one of those old clay tea cups with a single chip in the rim that makes it uniquely special." He gently squeezed her shoulder. "Well, I think perfection is bullshit anyway."

She sighed with a bit of a giggle, then hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose that would be in keeping with the Buddhist principles wabi-sabi is derived from. The focus on natural simplicity and roughness is a reminder that everything is impermanent, imperfect, and incomplete. Like that song." She gave him a sly grin and went into her best Geddy Lee impression. "'Each of us, a cell of awareness, imperfect and incomplete.'"

He laughed and tilted his head, giving her a slightly baffled look. "Wait, you know Rush?"

She rolled her eyes and gave him a playful slap on the chest. "I'm a bassist. Of course I know Rush."

"Fair enough. I think it's true though." He brought his free hand to rest over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Just look at us. All of the Thieves are flawed individuals, we've all been hurt, damaged even, but that's made us who we are. Our imperfections make us beautiful."

Makoto smiled and leaned up to plant a soft kiss on Akira's jawline. "Mm. I think that's a good way to look at it." Then she brought her free hand up to place a knuckle to her chin in thought. "From a formal standpoint, however, I believe that the perfection of a work is generally understood to mean that it cannot be improved either by adding or removing anything."

Sensing that she was in the mood for argumentation, he gave her a playful smirk. "But that's all subjective. What if I look at the Mona Lisa and decide that it'd look better with a happy little tree off to the side, or one of those old-timey, twirly mustaches?"

"Okay, Duchamp." She laughed and wrapped an arm around him, pulling herself a bit closer. "Point taken. I suppose that there really is no objective measure of quality in art. Really it comes down to the cognition of the audience. Great art is great because its audience, either a critical community or the general public, has determined it to be great."

"And we've seen firsthand how distorted the public's cognition can get, so I don't fully trust general opinion either." He pulled her closer and nuzzled his cheek against her forehead. "Ultimately, I think it comes down to the individual. We're each responsible for deciding for ourselves what we find to be beautiful. I know I've made my choice." He tilted her chin up and gave her a deep, adoring kiss.

She looked at him for a moment, eyes wide and lips slightly parted, before gracefully climbing on top of him and straddling his waist, looking down with an expression of intense, burning desire. "I've made mine, too. Are you ready for round two?"

He looked up at her with an excited grin as he planted his hands on her hips. "I am now, my Queen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I got a little verklempt writing this one.
> 
> Fuck *clapping emoji* impostor *clapping emoji* syndrome *clapping emoji* *middle finger emoji*


	6. Intermezzo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of a very eventful day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this fairly chill intermission chapter, have some songs from bands I've introduced, but want to give you a bit more of:
> 
> Band-Maid - Dice https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpAYnVJX9CY  
> Glim Spanky - Ikari Wo Kureyo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OKeFoFFwYJM  
> Polkadot Stingray - Pandora's Box https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-zlq6eMycLA

Eventually, it was time for Akira to head home (Makoto told him, with more than a hint of regret, that she would be busy for the next couple days on a pair of research papers), and he made his way back to Yongen-Jaya and the Sakura household. When he returned to Tokyo, Sojiro had surprised him with a room of his own in his house, telling him that "since you're officially no longer a delinquent, you deserve something a bit better than an attic over the café." 

As he entered and waved a quick greeting to Sojiro, the older man put down his paper and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Wait a second, kid. Is that bad beans I smell on you?" Akira cursed under his breath. Of course Coffee Dad would notice that before the guitar on his back or the amp in his hand. 

He put on his best poker face and shrugged nonchalantly. "Makoto and I stopped by a café in Ochanomizu, but we just got gelato. Must be the ambient scent from the coffee that got into my clothes."

Sojiro crossed his arms over his chest and gave him an annoyed grunt. "Don't bullshit me, kid. You think I can't tell the difference between a bit of fumes and someone who's been drinking crap coffee? How many times have I got to explain the importance of quality... Wait, Ochanomizu? What were you doing in Ochanomizu? And is that a guitar?"

Akira grinned, silently thanking the fates for the distraction from the imminent lecture. "I was wondering when you would notice. I found out the other day that Makoto plays bass, so I convinced her to come down and try out some instruments. And god, you need to hear her." He put down his amp and pulled out his phone, scrolling through the files until he found one that he remembered as being especially good, then hit play and handed his phone to Sojiro.

Sojiro's eyes widened as he listened to the fluid, funky slap bass. "This is the Niijima girl? Huh, always knew that one was special, but definitely didn't see this coming." He looked up at Akira with a knowing smirk. "You know you're damn lucky to have a girl like that, right? Smart, pretty, and talented. You've hit the jackpot, kid."

Akira gave him a proud smile. "Believe me, I know. Sometimes I can't believe that such an incredible woman would want to be with me. Every day with her is just... magical."

Sojiro chuckled and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "So you bought her a bass? Heh, you've got it bad, kid. Not that I can blame you. A girl like that is worth every yen." He gave him a serious look. "Just don't think that spending money can substitute for genuine connection. If you're smart, you'll listen to her and give her the kind of love she deserves. Got it?"

Akira rolled his eyes with a grin. "Thank you, Coffee Dad, for imparting you wisdom upon me. Trust me, we're as open in communicating with each other as I think we can be. It's just..." He got a dreamy, adoring look. "When I first heard her play, there was nothing in the world I wanted more than to hear more of her."

Sojiro burst out laughing and slapped his knee. "Damn, kid. You've got it real bad. Good on you, though. That look on your face? That's the kind of love you can't fake. Well, if you need cash, I can give you some hours at Leblanc. Might as well put all that time I spent training you to use."

"That actually reminds me." Akira gave him a serious look. "We're looking for somewhere for the band to practice, and I was wondering if we could use my old room."

Sojiro tilted his head with a confused look. "The band? What band?"

Akira laughed and gave him a playful smirk. "Who do you think? All of the Thieves. Well, Yusuke hasn't gotten on board yet, but I expect he'll be in when he's done with whatever art thing he's on now. We've got Ryuji on drums, Haru on keys, Ann on vocals, and Futaba... well, I'm not exactly sure, but something to do with electronics."

Sojiro shook his head in disbelief, eyes wide. "Futaba wants to be in a band? Well I'll be." He gave his beard a thoughtful stroke. "I suppose you kids could use the attic in the evening, after I close up. Just don't play so loud that you piss off the neighbors." He looked up with a nostalgic smile. "Y'know, back in the day I had a band, and let me tell you, hooo boy. Of course, you already have a girlfriend, so some of that won't apply, but still, I think you'll have a lot of fun."

Akira chuckled as he took back his phone. "I'm sure you've got some fantastic stories, but I've spent all day jamming with Makoto, among other things, and I'm honestly exhausted. I really need to get a bit of sleep." 

He nodded to Sojiro and began to head up the stairs, letting out an embarrassed sigh as the older man called out, "well, I hope you used protection for your 'other things'."

As he passed Futaba's room, she popped her head out and gave him an excited grin. "You have done well in passing the gatekeeper. Now come, warrior, and claim your reward."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

She sighed and grabbed his arm, pulling him into her room. "Get in here. I've got all kinds of shit to show you."

***

As Makoto sat down at her laptop to begin her research papers, she thought for a moment, then pulled out her phone and set it to autoplay the fairly long list of songs she and Akira had jammed on. She silently promised herself to abide by Akira's request to not be unfairly critical of herself, and began to write. Whenever she came to a promising track, she would pause for a moment and pull out a fresh notebook, noting the file name along with a couple ideas to expand upon.

When she felt she had made enough progress on her schoolwork for one night, she stretched out and grabbed her bass, looking over her notes to find a good first song to work on. She played lightly, a mercy to her still somewhat sore fingers, and switched back and forth between playing a riff and writing out structural concepts. As the night wore on, she developed a number of the simple riffs they had jammed on into more complex, fleshed out song ideas. She had to admit to herself that Akira had been right, it was far more useful to approach the initial recordings as rough ideas to expand upon rather than as final products to be critical of.

As she prepared to go to bed, she smiled at the memory of the long, exciting day she and Akira had together. She let out a contented sigh as she lay down, and sent him a message.

Makoto: Thank you so much for everything. I feel like you've given me an exciting new part of my life.

Akira: Believe me, the pleasure is mine. Hearing you play is something I didn't know I needed, but now I couldn't imagine life without it.

Makoto: You flatterer. You're making me blush.

Akira: Mission accomplished. I mean it, though. Listening to you, it's indescribable. Just when I thought I couldn't be more in love with you, you manage to blow my mind in a whole new way.

Makoto: You're too much. God, I wish you were here right now so I could show you exactly how you make me feel when you talk like that.

Akira: After today, I'm not sure I could survive another round. But what a way to go.

Makoto: You're utterly ridiculous, and I love it so much. I've been working on some ideas for us to try out the next time we can be together.

Akira: Sounds exciting. But I hope you aren't neglecting your schoolwork on my account.

Makoto: I believe that's my line. Don't worry, I've made excellent progress on my papers. I think this creative outlet has spurred me on to new levels of productivity.

Akira: I pray that the world can handle an even more productive Makoto Niijima.

Makoto: Well, the world will have to manage. For now, though, I'm fading fast. It's been a very long, very good day. Good night, Akira. I love you.

Akira: Good night, my Queen. I love you, too.

As she drifted off to sleep, the memories of the melodies they had crafted danced through her mind, soundtracks to the blissful dreams of their passionate play together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a bit of an uneventful chapter, but I kind of feel it's necessary both as a diminuendo from an eventful day and a prelude to a few future threads.


	7. Techno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futaba gives Akira a demonstration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of Futaba, here's Squarepusher, one of my favorite electronic artists and a ridiculously talented bassist, with his band Shobaleader One, who play live arrangements of his songs in more of a jazz fusion style.
> 
> Cooper's World https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VypU8zojFsY  
> Squarepusher Theme https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kX9QE6OBvoY  
> Megazine https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QZi5Y7KgzsQ

Several Hours Earlier, the Sakura Household:

Futaba ushered Akira into her room and made a grandiose, sweeping gesture at the wall of monitors. "And this is where the magic happens!"

Akira gave her a confused look. "Futaba, I live down the hall and have been in your room like a thousand times. We were playing computer games here yesterday."

She put her hands on her hips and let out an annoyed huff. "Ugh, fine. Just go ahead and ruin my big dramatic reveal. If you want to be all nit-picky about it..." She pointed out a number of monitors that showed various sequencers. "THIS is where the magic happens!"

Akira put down his amp and walked over to examine the programs. One monitor contained a series of bars arranged in a way vaguely reminiscent of sheet music, another contained what appeared to be a wall of virtual effect pedals, and a third had numerous lines of waveforms, some highlighted and others greyed out. "I'm really not too familiar with making electronic music. Could you explain to me how this works?"

Futaba nodded, then shoved him onto her bed, waking up Morgana. The feline Phantom Thief let out a massive yawn, then gave him a sleepy smile. "Oh, hey Joker! How was music shopping with Queen?"

Akira smiled back and gave him a friendly scratch on the head. "Fantastic! How was hanging out with Futaba?"

Morgana shrugged and scratched behind his ear with his back foot. "Pretty good, I guess. She got really excited about something earlier and she's been fiddling with her computers ever since, so I decided to take a nap. She's kind of in her own little world when she gets like that."

"May I have your attention please!?" Futaba called cheerfully from her computer chair. She moved the cursor to the monitor with bars, then to the one with pedals. "This, and this, is Reason. There are a lot of different sequencers, but I like this one for composition because it has a really cool, intuitive interface." 

She clicked the play button next to one of the rows of bars and an envelope filtered marimba began to play in 7/4 time. "This is where you compose the parts. Pretty self-explanatory spatial interface, vertical is pitch and horizontal is time. Duh, right? There's a big library of different instruments, some midi and some sample based, and you can stack pretty much as many tracks as you want." She pulled up another file and hit play on what sounded like a symphony orchestra playing into a tin can underwater.

She turned to the monitor with a wall of pedals. "This is the rack, where you arrange all the different instruments, fiddle with settings and stuff, and add effects. I like it because it has a virtual hardware interface, so you can see all the boxes and how they're connected, and I dunno, I just kinda think it looks cool." She spun to face them with a cheeky grin. "Ever wonder what a car horn sounds like run through 30 layers of reverb?"

Before Akira could say "no, Futaba, I've literally never wondered that in my life," she had spun back around and hit play. A haunting, otherworldly sound emanated from her speakers that seemed to make Morgana strangely antsy and uncomfortable. Akira, noticing his feline friend's discomfort, called out to Futaba over the weird hum. "Very impressive, Futaba, but I don't think this one agrees with Morgana."

She immediately shut off the offending tone and turned to face Morgana (who still looked a bit dazed) with a concerned expression. She picked up the startled cat, pulled him onto her lap, and gave him a comforting backrub. "Sorry, Mona. I guess your ears are more sensitive to stuff like this."

The furry ex-Thief shook his head, then looked up at her with a shaky smile. "I-it's okay, Oracle. Just a bit surprising. M-maybe we should move on from that, though."

She nodded and gave him a quick scratch under his chin, then spun back around with him still in her lap. She moved to her second keyboard and pointed to the monitor with a column of waveforms. "This is Audacity. It's freeware, so get it, and tell Queen to get it too. It doesn't have the kind of tools you'd get with premium programs, but it's good enough for recording and mixing. I mostly use it with found sounds and stuff, but you can record instruments with it too." She held out a hand to Akira. "Phone!"

He gave her his phone, and she began importing the tracks he had recorded earlier with Makoto into a new file. "I'm kind of surprised you weren't already recording all of these, Futaba."

She turned to him with a horrified expression. "After That One Time? I know better than to have the bugs on when you two are alone together. If I never hear either of you moaning again in my life, it'll be too soon." She shuddered and stuck out her tongue. "Ugh! Seriously, it's like hearing my brother and my sister-in-law going at it like... I dunno, something that goes at it like crazy. No thanks."

When the tracks had finished importing she hit play on the first one, and a somber bassline of descending arpeggios, accompanied by a tender, tasteful lead guitar, began playing. Morgana popped up over the back of Futaba's computer chair and looked at Akira with wide eyes. "Whoa! This is you and Queen? I don't know much about music, but this sounds really good!" After a couple minutes, the bass slid down an octave into a much heavier variation over the same chord progression, a melody at once complex, refined, and powerful. Morgana put his front paws up on Futaba's desk and stared at the screen, his mouth hanging slightly open. "Alright, Queen!"

Futaba grabbed him under his armpits and pulled him into an excited hug. "Yep! Queen's a rockstar, and we're starting a band!"

Morgana squirmed around a bit to be able to look up at her with a concerned expression. "You're going to be in a band? Are you going to be alright performing in front of an audience?"

Futaba paled and spun around to face Akira. "Oooh, I... hadn't really thought about that part. Um, do you think it'd be okay if I... wore my mask onstage?"

Akira raised an eyebrow, looking a little unsure. "You mean that big, weird doll head that you wore when you were getting used to spending time with us? Can you see with that thing on?"

She hopped up from her chair, sending Morgana flying onto the bed, and pulled the bizarre mask down from a shelf, plopping it onto her head and doing a little spin to show Akira. "Yeah, I can see fine. And lots of guys perform with masks on! Daft Punk, Deadmau5, Squarepusher. So... do you think it'd be okay?" She asked in a slightly pleading tone.

Akira shrugged and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "We should run it by Makoto, but if it makes you more comfortable, I don't see why not."

She Pulled off the mask and gave him a huge grin, then launched herself onto Akira, giving him a happy, sisterly hug. "Thanks, Akira! I knew I could count on my key item!"

Morgana nudged them with his head. "Hey, you guys, it's getting pretty late, and you have school tomorrow, Oracle. Don't you think we should get some sleep?"

Futaba rolled her eyes and pouted at him. "Jeez, Akira. I don't know how you lived with Lord Bedtime over here for so long without going crazy. Fine, I guess it is getting late. Whose room do you want to sleep in tonight, Mona?"

Akira gave them both a slightly troubled look. "Um, if it's alright with both of you, could you room together tonight? I have a bit more work I need to do before I get to sleep."

Futaba shrugged and nodded, but Morgana gave him a concerned look. "Just don't stay up too late. You know that getting enough sleep is a vital part of a healthy, active lifestyle."

Akira nodded, gathered his things, and said his good nights.

***

Sitting alone on his bed, Akira pulled out his guitar and pulled up a chord chart on his phone. His fingers were still pretty sore from earlier as he pressed down the strings, but he grit his teeth and shook them out. He had a lot of catching up to do. While he was a decent guitarist, Makoto was in another league altogether. He was more than happy with her being the star, but the last thing he wanted was for his own limitations to hold her back. Some of the pieces they had worked on earlier were already pushing the limits of what he was capable of, and knowing Makoto, her compositions would only be getting more challenging as she grew more confident. He practiced quickly transitioning between a number of oddly voiced jazz chords in the sharp, syncopated rhythms they had worked on, and let out a curse under his breath as an especially sore patch on his ring finger rubbed against the string the wrong way.

There was also the issue of how exactly everyone would work together. While he had put on a brave face regarding Makoto's concerns about what they would end up sounding like, he really had no idea how so many people with different styles and interests would come together. He was already taking on a sense of being the de facto bandleader, and he didn't even know what several members sounded like yet. Futaba's minor panic at the thought of performing for an audience had hammered home that he was working with a group of very complicated individuals, and he wasn't sure how their dynamic as Phantom Thieves would translate into their musical collaboration. He should arrange to meet with them, to get a sense for how they each played, as soon as possible.

As he let out a sigh of frustration and shook out his aching fingers again, his phone buzzed, and he smiled to see a message from Makoto.

Makoto: Thank you so much for everything. I feel like you've given me an exciting new part of my life.

They could do this. Whatever it took, they would make it work, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Describing the bizarre sounds Futaba likes to produce is way too much fun.
> 
> My friend and I made an experimental industrial EP back in school, and at one point I told him I could manipulate a stock sound of a rooster crowing into something we could use for a song. I succeeded.


	8. Arrangements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang moves a drum set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about one song for each member of our trio?
> 
> Ann: Awesome City Club - Don't Think, Feel (shoutout to Chie) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EzLFdxsjmrQ  
> Ryuji: Mary's Blood - Marionette https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MLM2unV0kwU  
> Akira: Hello Sleepwalkers - Saru Wa Ki Kara Doko e Ochiru https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5dPpdvPM2FM

Akira: Coffee Dad says we can use my old room over Leblanc as a jam space in the evening. Makoto's going to be busy with schoolwork for a while, but if any of you want to swing by and set up tonight, I can show you some of the songs we might be working on and get an idea of your play style.

Ryuji: hell yeah! I can bring my set over whenever you're ready. it's gonna kick ass being able to play for real again!

Akira: Are you going to need any help moving your set?

Ryuji: probably. that thing's a huge pain in the ass to move, but with two of us I think we can do it in one trip.

Akira: Perfect. We can get ramen after class then swing by your place to pick it up. I don't think Boss will mind us just bringing it through, as long as we don't annoy the customers.

Ryuji: F yeah! ramen for life!

Ann: I should be able to make it, but I don't know about equipment. I don't have a mic or anything...

Futaba: Gotcha covered! I've got all kinds of mics and speakers, so you should be all good! (/¯–‿･)/¯

Ann: Awesome! Do you guys want me to help with the drums too?

Ryuji: yeah that's probably a good idea. got all kinds of stands and shit so the more the merrier.

Haru: I'm afraid I will be unable to join you this evening. I'm expected at a board meeting, and they often go on unbearably long. I should be available tomorrow though.

Makoto: That actually works out. My papers are coming along quite well, so I should be done by tomorrow evening.

Ann: Do you think we should postpone then?

Makoto: No, I think it would be easier to bring in equipment and set up in stages, so all of you go ahead. Akira has all of the song ideas we worked on so you should be able to get some preliminary work done.

Akira: And with such a large group, it might be easier to work with a few people to start and get us all on the same page before we try with everyone.

Ann: Good point. Six people's kind of a lot for a band.

Yusuke: Excuse me, but are you all discussing some sort of musical project?

Ryuji: dude, where have you been? and didn't you see the whole chat for the last like 2 days?

Yusuke: I have been in voluntary isolation while I completed my current work. I wished to paint with absolutely no distractions, so my phone has been off.

Futaba: What an Inari answer. ಠ_ಠ

Yusuke: What does that even mean?

Akira: Yes, we're starting a band. Are you interested?

Yusuke: A new artistic venture could indeed spur on my creativity. Yes, I believe playing with all of you could be quite enlightening.

Makoto: What do you play, Yusuke? So far we have Akira on guitar, Ann on vocals, Ryuji on drums, Haru on keys, Futaba adding some electronic elements, and myself on bass.

Yusuke: What do you require? While my former sensei was undoubtedly a monster, he did ensure that my creative impulses were developed to the fullest extent, if only to better exploit my abilities. As such, I am something of a multi-instrumentalist, although I would by no means consider myself a master. Perhaps flute, or saxophone, or some sort of auxiliary percussion?

Makoto: Do you have access to any of those instruments?

Yusuke: That is a consideration I had not taken into account.

Haru: I can help! I still feel as though you were not adequately compensated for that wonderful commission you painted for me.

Yusuke: While I am loath to accept charity, I suppose it is your prerogative to determine the value of my work to you. Very well.

Makoto: As long as you're both okay with that. Let's start out with just one instrument for now though.

Akira: Percussion?

Makoto: Percussion is fine, but don't overdo it. I think we can do without a glockenspiel or tubular bells.

Yusuke: Yes, I suppose the presence of a keyboardist would likely render most tuned percussion somewhat redundant.

Akira: Okay, so Ryuji, Ann and I will grab the drums and get our stuff set up today. Haru and Yusuke can go shopping tomorrow afternoon, and we'll have everyone together tomorrow evening for a full practice.

Akira sighed in relief as a chorus of confirmations came in from the rest of the Thieves. How on earth did this feel so much more complicated than arranging for a palace infiltration?

***

"This suuuucks!" Ann voiced everyone's opinion of moving a drum set as she, Akira, and Ryuji hauled the myriad cases up the stairs to the attic over Leblanc.

"For real. I think I'm gonna have effing nightmares about carrying all this shit on the subway." A very worn out Ryuji was struggling with navigating the stairs with a bass drum, a bag of stands slung over his sagging shoulder.

"Almost... there. Just... a little... further." Akira was doing his best to keep morale up, and was anticipating the blissful moment that he could put down the cymbal case he had come to loathe like he had never loathed an inanimate object.

As they arrived in the attic, they were greeted by Futaba, crouched on the couch with her laptop open on the table in front of her, and a pair of large speakers already set up in the corners of the room.

"How the hell did you get those up here?" Ryuji asked, dumbfounded, as the trio set down their burdens. 

"Secret." She replied, not looking up from her laptop.

Ryuji groaned and shook his head, then got to work unloading the cases and setting up his drums. Ann flopped down on the couch next to Futaba, entirely spent, while Akira pulled out his guitar and plugged into his amp.

"Hey, maybe we should take a break and listen to some of those songs you and Makoto worked on yesterday." Ann called out in a voice that made it clear she was not in the mood to do anything that required moving.

Ryuji looked over at Akira, who was shaking out his left hand. "Hey yeah, aren't we supposed to wait until Boss closes up before we play anyway?"

Akira shook his head and put down his guitar, leaning it against the amp. "God, that must have taken more out of me than I thought. I can't even think straight."

Ann sat up and have him a concerned pout. "Have you been feeling alright, Akira? You seemed a little out of it even before the drum set from hell." 

He nodded and sat down on his former bed. "Yeah... I guess I just didn't get as much sleep as I should have."

"Lord Bedtime will not be pleased." Futaba chuckled, but when she looked over and saw how pale Akira was, her expression dropped. "H-hey, you guys want me to run down and grab you some coffee? You all look kinda dead."

"Yes please! Extra cream, extra extra sugar." The gratitude in Ann's exhausted voice was palpable.

Ryuji looked up from assembling his set. "Can I get a hot chocolate instead?"

Futaba nodded and scurried down the stairs with their orders.

With a supreme force of will, Ann arose from the couch and made her way over to the bed, plopping down next to Akira and giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Seriously, Akira, are you sure you're okay? You've been flexing your fingers and wincing all day. Did you hurt your hand?"

He attempted a grin as he held his hand in a fist on his lap. "Just a bit out of practice, haven't built up proper calluses yet."

Ann, sensing his evasiveness, frowned at him. "Let me see your hand." When he made no move to comply, she seized his wrist and gently pried open his fist, revealing an angry looking set of blisters on his fingertips, the one on his ring finger beginning to peel. "Whoa, that looks bad! Just how much were you playing yesterday?"

He sighed in defeat. "A couple hours with Makoto and then a few more of practice when I got home."

Ryuji looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Dude, 'a few more when you got home'? You know you need to ease into any kind of training or you'll mess yourself up. Why you pushing yourself so hard?"

Ann pursed her lips. "I think I know. It's for Makoto, isn't it?"

He nodded sadly and let out a deep sigh. "She's so good, and when she plays there's just something about her. When she really gets into it, you can feel Queen coming out. I just... don't want to hold her back. She's miles ahead of me, but I want to be able to play whatever she needs from me."

Ann let out a huff and thought for a moment. "Has she said or done anything to make you believe she isn't satisfied with your playing?" He shook his head, and she smiled and gave him a gentle slap on the shoulder. "Then why are you worrying? Makoto loves you, and it certainly seems like she loves playing with you. If she's happy, then you're doing fine."

Ryuji stood up from his completed drum set and stretched out his arms. "Yeah, man. Music ain't like a race. It ain't about keeping up with her. It's like... I dunno, like a conversation. You both talk in your own voice, and the important thing is communicating."

Ann turned to look at Ryuji, eyes wide with disbelief. "That's... actually incredibly intelligent and well put. I'm impressed, Ryuji."

He beamed proudly at her. "Thanks! See, I say smart stuff sometimes."

Akira glanced up sheepishly at the two of them. "You won't tell her, will you?"

Ann rolled her eyes, then furrowed her brow at him. "Of course not." She poked him lightly in the chest. "But you'd better. She's not gonna be happy if you try and hide it from her."

Ryuji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, man. If Ann figured you out that quick, do you really think you can hide it from Makoto?"

The Realization hit him, and Akira fell back onto his bed. "Shiiiiiit. You're right. I'm going to have to explain it to her somehow."

Ann, satisfied that he would do the right thing, reached over and tousled his hair. "Just tell her the truth. You overdid it with practicing because you wanted to impress her."

Ryuji fell onto the couch with a huge sigh and gave him a thumbs up. "For real. If anyone can understand pushing yourself too hard, it's Makoto."

Futaba returned, carrying a tray with three coffees and one hot chocolate, to find Akira now lying on his bed, with Ann leaning over him with a comforting smile. "You guys figure out what's wrong with him?" Without sitting up, he held up his hand, and her worried expression was replaced with one of extreme annoyance. "Ew, gross. So that was the 'bit more work' you had to do after Mona and I went to bed? Let me guess: trying to impress Queen, right?" He let his hand drop onto his chest and nodded silently. She rolled her eyes with an angry huff. "Well, go see if Dr. Takemi has anything for it, you big, self-sacrificing dumbass."

***

Akira's fingers were feeling significantly better after Takemi drained the blisters and applied Physical Ointment and moleskin wrapped in gauze. He only hoped they would be recovered enough to play in time for their full practice. Deciding that he was doing himself no favors by delaying the inevitable, he pulled out his phone on the walk back from the clinic and sent a message in his private chat with Makoto.

Akira: So, I kind of messed up my fingers going too hard on practice. Takemi's treated them and I should be good for tomorrow night, but I feel like an idiot.

Makoto: Someone who I respect very much once told me "better to build up calluses gradually than to tear up our fingers."

Akira: Sounds like good advice. Wish I'd taken it.

Makoto: Your hands were already sore when we finished playing yesterday. Why on earth would you work yourself so hard afterwards?

Akira: I didn't want to fall too far behind you. Some of the stuff we worked on was already pushing what I can play, and I didn't want to not be able to perform like you want. I didn't want to disappoint you.

Makoto: Akira Kurusu, do you know why I love playing with you?

Akira: Because of my mysterious, bad-boy allure?

Makoto: I'm serious. It isn't about how fast you can play or how complex your melodies and chord progressions are.

Makoto: I love playing with you because I can hear your voice in your music. Gently reminding me to relax when I'm overthinking, coaxing me to be more confident in myself, and playfully collaborating with me when we're both feeling the groove.

Makoto: It's very sweet that you want to impress me, but I don't want you to hurt yourself for me. I just want you. You already impress me so, so much. You're kind, charming, and intelligent, not to mention very handsome. I love you, and I can feel your love for me in the way we play together. And that makes me more happy than I can describe. That will always be more than I could ever hope for.

Akira: How did a dork like me ever end up with such a perfect woman?

Makoto: Someone I respect very much also told me "perfection is bullshit".

Akira: Whoever said that must not have known you well enough.

Makoto: Well perhaps I should get to know them better. I can't be there to kiss your fingertips, but maybe I can find some other ways to make you feel better after practice tomorrow. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡° )

Akira: It's almost scary how good you're getting at teasing me.

Makoto: Well, I did learn from the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote Akira getting ready to play, then remembered that they couldn't until after Leblanc closed. Rather than change that, I ended up redirecting the rest of the chapter around it. I think that's what Bob Ross would call a "happy accident".
> 
> Edit: I think Makoto and Yusuke's back and forth about tuned percussion might be what I personally find funniest out of anything I've written.


	9. Furioso

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futaba is pretty upset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real theme for songs on this one, just want to show off some really cool math-rock bands.
> 
> Covet - Falkor https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FTxSXUzc96A  
> Elephant Gym - Underwater https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0K9Vq1vfqXU

Akira returned to the attic of Leblanc to find Ann, Ryuji, and Futaba all listening to the tracks he and Makoto had worked on yesterday on Futaba's laptop. Caffeine and sugar seemed to have done wonders for Ann, who was happily bobbing her head and wiggling her shoulders to the beat as she sat on Akira's bed. Ryuji was nodding along with an uncharacteristically thoughtful expression and tapping out a preliminary rhythm with his drumsticks on the table. Futaba had a sequencer open and seemed to be arranging a string part for the song. Morgana had returned from exploring the neighborhood and was sitting on Ann's lap with a contented smile. As they noticed him enter, they all looked up expectantly, and he raised his bandaged hand with a sheepish smile.

"Takemi says I should be fine for tomorrow, but to rest it until then. I'm really sorry I can't play with you right now." He let out a disappointed sigh and sat beside Ann on the bed.

Futaba shrugged and pointed to her computer. "Not the end of the world. I'm still really pissed at you for your secret bullshit masochism session, but we already have guitar on the track, so we can still get some work done with Ann and Ryuji."

Ann gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Yeah, don't worry about it. You can give us some directions on how you think we should work with the songs." As the chorus hit with a bombastic descending chromatic line of arpeggios, she looked excitedly over at Futaba. "Oooh, this one's really cool! What track is it? We should see if Makoto has any lyrics for me to try on it."

"Track 3." The hacker replied without looking up from adding a dramatic sting to the intro. Ann nodded and pulled out her phone.

Ann: Hey Makoto, sorry to bug you when you're working, but do you have any lyrics for track 3? The one that starts out with those awesome bass chords.

Makoto: I believe so, let me check.

Makoto: Found them! Here you go. My English is still a bit rough, but hopefully they'll work for the song.

*File Received: Surprise.doc*

Ann: Awesome! Thanks!

Sojiro popped his head up over the top of the stairs. "Looks like business is winding down, so after these last few customers finish up, you can get to work. Give it about fifteen minutes." He informed them in his typical gruff yet friendly tone, eliciting a chorus of cheers from the assembled Thieves. He turned and walked back down the stairs to begin closing up.

Ann's face shifted into an uncomfortable frown. "Before we get started though, we have to talk about... that." She gestured to his injured fingers. "We were discussing while you were at the clinic whether we should let it slide, but Futaba's pretty upset."

Futaba nodded to Ann then turned to Akira with the angriest expression he had ever seen on her. "Thanks for your attempt at diplomacy, Ann, but that is a massive understatement. I'm fucking furious." She pointed at Morgana, who was regarding Akira with an expression of unmaskable disappointment. "So you know what Mona and I did when you left? I convinced Mona that you and Queen starting a band was exciting enough to stay up past bedtime for. We listened to your fucking recordings. All 53 minutes of them. They were some of the best music I've ever heard, and I listen to a lot of music. We could have hung out and listened to it together." 

She banged her small fist on the table. "Instead, you were isolating yourself in your room for three hours, playing guitar until your fucking fingers bled. I used to do shit like that when I was a shut-in. I'd spend 16 hours straight perfecting the exact waveform to create a picture of a cat, just to have something to occupy my mind. I'd rather not be reminded of those days, especially not by you."

Ryuji nodded and let out a frustrated sigh. "We get it, man. You want to impress Makoto. You think we don't all want to? She's one of the best musicians I've heard in a long, long time, AND she's one of our best friends, AND she's like, one of the coolest, most impressive people I know. You know who else is one of the coolest, most impressive people I know? You are. But you know better than to train to the point of injury. What the fuck were you thinking."

Futaba's finger snapped to Ryuji. "YOU MADE RYUJI SAY FUCK, YOU ASSHOLE!"

She turned away, her own anger spent, then produced a second dagger that pierced Akira's heart. "And if you think I'm upset, just imagine how Makoto feels. Judging by your face your confession went well, and she said something really nice and sweet and thoughtful because you were hurt, and because it's Makoto and she's one of the nicest people I've ever met, and because she loves you even more than I do, and I love you like you're my GODDAMN BROTHER, but guess what, I love her like she's my goddamn sister, and if she isn't going to tell you off like you deserve, then I am." She was, at this point, nearly hyperventilating with rage.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're treating her like she's perfection. You're acting like she's this unattainable goddess that you need to push for way past the point you know you should rest. Do you have any idea how much pressure that puts on her to be what you expect of her? I've been an A student. It fucking sucks having everyone constantly expect you to be perfect. How much pressure do you think it is having you expect her to be, I dunno, some bullshit jazz fusion bass god that you're in love with?"

While her anger was beginning to ebb, it was replaced by a supreme frustration. "And you know what's really ridiculous about it? You're injuring yourself trying to be worthy of this impossible ideal Makoto, when to the REAL Makoto, you're already perfect, or as close to perfect as she'd admit a person could be. You know how perfect you think she is? That's how perfect she thinks you are. I've literally never experienced two people more in love. It's ridiculous how much you two adore each other. I'm honestly really jealous."

"Same," Ann volunteered. "You two are by far the single cutest couple I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure everyone wants a relationship like that. That's kinda how I feel about Shiho. With everything she's gone through, she's so strong and so good. I couldn't imagine a more beautiful person. So I totally get that you might as well see Makoto as a goddess... or a Queen." 

She smirked at him. "She's crazy impressive. She's like, a super genius, and I've seen her throw a guy at one of her Aikido exhibitions that must have been twice her size. Plus she's the nicest, most supportive team mom I could ever hope for. And, I mean, we did kill a god together. She's been through more with you than most couples could imagine, and she was a huge part of what allowed us to succeed. And you know what?" 

She gave him a huge grin. "I knew you two were gonna fall in love the second I saw you working together. I think that it's how you both respected pretty much everything about each other. She saw you as this dashing, clever leader (which to be fair you pretty much are, most of the time at least), but also a really nice and charming and smart guy, which you definitely are, although she may put in a vote to revoke your smart card after this stunt."

Ryuji let out a bark of laughter. "Hey, man. We all get one."

Ann rolled her eyes at him. "Trust me, Ryuji. Yours was gone around the time Makoto recorded you yelling about being a Phantom Thief." 

Ryuji threw his hands up defensively. "Hey, you were on that tape too."

Ann rolled her eyes even harder, then returned her attention to Akira. "And you saw her as a brilliant strategist who not only came up with pretty much all of our best plans, but also kept our dumb asses alive with all those Mediaramas and Marakukajas. And you were the leaders of a vigilante superhero team fighting for our own justice against the very fabric of reality. How romantic is that!"

She let out a dreamy sigh, then remembered why she was angry with him. "Do you know how bad she must feel to think you felt so inadequate that you'd hurt yourself doing something stupid just to feel worthy of her? You two definitely seem more like a relationship of equals. She doesn't want you to put her on a pedestal like that. She respects the hell out of you. We all do. Just like we all respect the hell out of her. You were our leaders and we trusted you all the way. I guarantee she doesn't want you to feel like you're unworthy of her."

Futaba sighed deeply, winding down. "You're really lucky that she knows exactly how it feels pushing way too hard to be perfect. And you're even more lucky that she's smart enough to know she doesn't have to be your idea of perfection, although that's never gonna stop her from pushing to be her own idea of perfection, because that's kinda who she is. You're unbelievably lucky she loves you so much that she already forgives you and wants you to feel better, because if you think I went in on you, I don't want to think what Queen could do. You're also unbelievably lucky that I DO love you like you're my brother, so of course I know you really are sorry and I forgive you. Just NEVER do something that stupid again."

Futaba marched over to him, stomped on his foot, then gave him a hug. She then turned to Ryuji. "Skull, your turn."

Ryuji leaned back on the couch and let out a pained sigh. "Not gonna lie, man. I'm pretty pissed too. You know how much I've been looking forward to this? Starting an effing BAND? That's like, the fourth coolest thing we've ever done! I was effing stoked to play with you today, but you did something you knew was stupid and now you gotta sit this one out. I get that you're doin' it for love, and I can see how Makoto's totally worth it, but be smart about it. Ain't that what you and her are always trying to get the rest of us to do?"

He shrugged. "You're still my best bro, so I ain't gonna hold a grudge or nothing, and I don't wanna rub it in, but you're supposed to be the responsible one that keeps all of us in line. I know you know better. But hey, we've gotten through worse. We'll manage, even if it is a bummer."

He looked over at Ann. "That's about all I got. You got anything else, Ann?"

Ann turned to face him, tiny pricks of tears at the corners of her eyes. "Don't you EVER worry us like that again. You looked terrible earlier. That wasn't just blisters, what happened?"

"Takemi said carrying a 20 kg cymbal case on the Tokyo subway with a hand full of blisters was one of the dumbest injuries she'd ever heard of. Between the pain and the exhaustion, I was exhibiting symptoms of mild shock." He sounded extremely deflated.

Ann balled her fists in her skirt. "You should have TOLD us that you were in so much pain. We could have taken way more breaks. Hell, I could have carried the damn cymbal case. I had some light stuff that you could have carried instead if we knew you were hurt."

She raised a hand to wipe away a tear. "We've almost lost you so many times, when I saw you looking like you were about to faint, I was really scared. We all love you, and it hurts us to see you hurt. Alright?"

She turned and hugged him, sniffling a bit as she rested her chin on his shoulder. When she pulled back, she gave him a medium velocity slap on the cheek.

Ryuji stretched his arms up. "Alright, now that we got that out of our systems, we ready to set up and play?"

Morgana cleared his throat and gave Akira a grumpy look. "Just a moment Skull. Joker, I want you to know that I'm very upset that you stayed up so long after bedtime. This is exactly why I try to make sure you get enough sleep. I think from now on I'll have to keep a closer eye on your sleep schedule. Except when you're with Queen, of course. I trust that she's diligent enough to ensure that you get to bed at a reasonable hour on her own."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> True friends are the ones who wait until your fingers are bandaged to go in on you for being a dumbass.


	10. Audition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's showtime!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DRUMS!  
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lMXRc1UDR3w
> 
> Did you see it coming?  
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eFVj0Z6ahcI

Having vented their ire, Futaba, Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana all made it clear that they still loved and respected Akira, and that they shouldn't waste any more time that could be spent working on worrying about something they couldn't do much else about. Ann got up from the bed, stretched, and walked over to plug a microphone into the small mixing board Futaba had mysteriously produced from her bag. Ryuji sat down at his set and began limbering up his arms. 

Futaba, having just expressed more intense emotions over the course of a few minutes than she did most months, came over and practically collapsed onto the bed, leaning against Akira's shoulder and sniffling a bit. "I'm sorry I got so mad at you, Akira."

He sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "It's okay. I deserved it."

She let out a halfhearted huff and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yes you did. I was so, so worried about you. When I saw that you did that to yourself, I was devastated. You're my favorite person in the whole world, even more favorite than Sojiro and Makoto. You're my key item. I don't ever want to see you hurt, and I especially never want to see you hurt yourself. You do so much to take care of me, I gotta take care of you too, even if sometimes it means telling you when you're being a big, dumb idiot."

He rested his cheek against her head and nodded. "I know. I'm so sorry I worried you. I promise I'll never do something that dumb ever again."

She leaned up and gave him a quick, light kiss on the cheek, then smirked at him. "Yeah, you better not. You don't want to know what Queen and I will do to you if you try and make this a regular occurence." She gave him a final squeeze, then got up and went back to her workstation, testing some levels.

Sojiro popped his head over the top of the stairs once more. "All clear down here. Hey, you kids mind if I stick around and have a listen?" There were no objections, and he climbed the rest of the way to the attic and leaned against the table by the stairs. He cocked an eyebrow when he noticed Akira sitting on the bed with bandaged fingers. "The hell you do to your hand?"

Akira grimaced. "Too much practice."

"Don't worry, we already went in on him." Futaba added without looking up from whatever she was adjusting on her laptop.

Sojiro just shook his head with a chuckle. "Ah, to be young, dumb, and in love again."

Futaba glanced around the room, checking one more time that everything was wired and ready to go, then gave a thumbs up. "All set when you are."

"Alright, gimme a sec to warm up." Ryuji began a double stroke roll, gradually building in tempo and intensity, then broke into a series of complex snare patterns before shifting a stick to the hi-hat and going into a vaguely Latin sounding beat. He switched his left hand back to the snare and tapped out a quick rhythm on the bell of his ride with his right, then did a couple fluid rolls across his toms before finishing with a bombastic flourish utilizing all his cymbals.

There was a moment of stunned silence as he finished, all eyes in the room squarely upon Ryuji. Then Ann gave an excited cheer. "Whoa! That sounded awesome!"

Ryuji glanced up at her, blushing a bit. "For real? Uh... thanks. My feet still ain't quite where I want em to be, but they'll get there."

Futaba nodded and turned to him with a grin. "For real, Ryuji. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't... well, that."

Ryuji shrugged, with a proud smile that wasn't exactly used to this much praise. "I love runnin' and I love drummin'. When I love doin' something, I go all out. If I loved studyin', maybe I could be as smart as Akira and Makoto."

"I maintain that studying with Makoto is actually a lot of fun." Akira offered, raising a finger on his uninjured hand. Everyone else in the room burst into laughter.

Ann pointed at him with an ecstatic grin. "Oh my god, how is it even possible that you two are so perfect for each other? You're the only two people I know who would describe studying as 'fun'."

Futaba waggled her eyebrows suggestively at him. "Studying, or ~'Studying'~?"

Akira raised his hands defensively. "I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that she would kick my ass if I did." Everyone laughed even harder.

As they settled down, Akira decided that if he couldn't play, he could at least provide some semblance of direction and order. "Alright, if everyone's ready, let's run through the track Makoto gave us lyrics for. Futaba, hit it."

The simple but slightly angular bass intro was now accompanied by a bombastic, confident string section, courtesy of Futaba, and Ryuji began a snare roll with accents on the crash to match Makoto's beats. As the verse hit, Ann began to bounce a bit as she belted out the lyrics with a slightly chirpy affect. After the first chorus, Akira motioned for Futaba to pause.

Akira thought for a moment, then turned to Ryuji. "Not bad, but not quite there yet. Ryuji, the intro sounds a bit busy with the bass, the strings, and the roll. Try pulling it back a bit. Just match the bass beats on the first repetition, then come in with your rhythm, maybe an accent on the 3 to add some interplay with Makoto's beat on the 4. Overall, a bit lighter and bouncier. There's definitely some aggression, but more like a dance fight than a slugfest." Ryuji nodded and adjusted his grip.

He turned to Ann, who was shuffling her feet and looked a little uncertain about her performance. "Ann, your voice is fine, but that intonation may be a bit poppy for the feel of this song. Try going a little heavier."

She gave him a confused look. "Heavier? You mean, like growling?" She attempted a guttural vocal, without much success.

He raised a knuckle to his chin in thought. "Not exactly. More like, a cross between a sort of jazz swing and some harder rock edge. Powerful, confident, and sexy. Think about how you felt fighting Shadows."

Futaba threw her hands up in excitement. "Hell yeah! Throw some Panther on that bitch!" 

Ann nodded, a look of determination on her face. "Be Panther. Got it."

Akira returned her nod, then turned to Futaba with an unmistakably Joker smirk. "If everyone's ready, let's take it from the top!"

As the intro began, Ann closed her eyes and lowered her head, nodding along with the beat as she recalled the feeling of Carmen's influence. When it reached the verse, she snapped her head up, fire in her eyes, and swung out her hip, bringing her free hand to rest on it. "You tried to run me through. Hold on. Think again. Don't you know, what you're starting? But... You sure ain't got a clue how bad, this will go. Don't you know, know my art?"

"Art of war!" Futaba cheered from the couch. She looked over at Akira, and they shared excited grins. They had it!

As the vocals ramped up in the second half of the verse, Ann began to sway as she got more into the beat, and as the chorus approached, she pulled her free hand up to her face, then threw her arm back as though she were tearing off her mask. "You'll never see it comiiiiiing! You see, that my mind is, too fast for eyes."

Futaba hopped off the couch and ran over to Akira, pulling him up off the bed and going into a slightly awkward little dance of excitement with him.

As the song wrapped up, Akira, Futaba, and Sojiro all applauded. Morgana, having paws, instead cheered. "You were incredible, Lady Ann! I guess you were alright too, Skull."

Sojiro stroked his goatee with an approving grunt. "Hey, you kids are great. Once you get a set list together and practiced, maybe I could set up for you to play live downstairs in the café."

Everyone cheered once more, then Akira turned to Futaba with a more immediate goal. "You were recording that?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Do I look like a scrub? Or course I was recording."

"Send it to Makoto, right away."

***

Makoto was completing a works cited page, humming along to Akira's solo on one of the tracks they had worked on, when her phone buzzed.

Futaba: Special delivery for Queen! (つ▀-▀)つ

*File Received: Last_Surprise_take_2.mp3*

Makoto: This is outstanding! You all did an excellent job. I love the strings, Futaba. They really give it a strong melody with some punch.

Futaba: Thanks, Queen! (´；ω；`)

Makoto: I had no idea you were such a talented drummer, Ryuji. This is very, very good.

Ryuji: thanks, Makoto! a lot of that's on you for giving me such an awesome beat to work with. rhythm section solidarity!

Makoto: Rhythm section solidarity!

Makoto: Ann, your voice is perfect! This is better than I could have imagined.

Ann: Thank you so much. I'm literally crying right now.

Futaba: It's true, she is. ｡ﾟ･（>﹏<）･ﾟ｡

Ann: I couldn't have done it without Akira though. On the first take I was... not getting it.

Ryuji: yeah, he gave us some great notes and got us all on the same page. just like old times, right?

Akira: I'm just glad I was able to do something to help, but that was all you. I just gave you some ideas.

Makoto: Ideas can be very powerful. You know that better than anyone.

Futaba: We need more songs! What other lyrics you got, Queen? (つ◉益◉)つ

Makoto: I have ideas for a few more. Just a moment.

*File Sent: Track_6_Wake_Up.doc*

*File Sent: Track_8_Change.doc*

*File Sent: Rivers.doc*

Makoto: That last one is a bit... different. Something I've been toying with during breaks from writing. Futaba, I believe your abilities will be especially crucial there. You said you have experience with industrial music?

Futaba: Do you have any idea how much I love you, Queen? (づ￣ ³￣)づ

Makoto: I love you too, Futaba. But I'm afraid I have a bit more work to finish up. I'll see all of you tomorrow.

As the chorus of farewells came in, she pulled up her private chat with Akira.

Makoto: How is your hand feeling?

Akira: A lot better. I want to apologize to you, though. For a lot of things.

Makoto: We'll discuss it tomorrow when I come to practice. I have quite a bit to say to you and I would rather say it to your face.

Akira: And you want me to stew in it for a little longer...

Makoto: Yes.

Makoto: For now, I just want to say I'm glad you're helping everyone work together. You always were a natural leader. Enjoy the rest of practice.

Akira: Good luck on the rest of your papers. I love you.

Makoto: I love you, too.

***

The next day, Ochanomizu:

Haru and Yusuke entered the music shop, Haru almost dancing with excitement at the variety of instruments available, Yusuke raising his hands to form a frame with his fingers, searching for the most aesthetically pleasing options.

Haru skipped over to a pair of congas and gave them a tentative tap. "I believe these, along with a pair of bongos, would likely be useful. Perhaps some claves and maracas. Oh, and a cowbell! I can never get enough cowbell, personally. What do you think, Yusuke? ...Yusuke?" She looked around for the artist, eventually finding him staring, enraptured, at a massive set of timpani. "Um, Yusuke... Makoto did tell us not to overdo it."

"Sublime," was all he said, clearly on a private journey into his own mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rhythm section solidarity!


	11. Dolce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the Makoto-coaster of emotions!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Makoto's preferred bassists:
> 
> Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (Victor Wooten) - Stomping Grounds https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UoLXtj0aCiM  
> Victor Wooten - Isn't She Lovely https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eynnYLXW3Fo
> 
> Primus (Les Claypool) - Tommy the Cat https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r4OhIU-PmB8  
> Primus - Tragedy's a' Comin' https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rYIsKkBBSuU

Makoto arrived at Leblanc about two hours before closing, greeting Sojiro, as she always did, with a polite little bow. The barista chuckled and gave her a warm smile. "You know, Makoto, you must have been in here about a thousand times. You really don't need to be so formal. Not that I'm complaining about getting some respect for once. Come on in, make yourself at home. The kid's out with Futaba, buying some gadget she wanted, but they should be back soon."

She nodded with a quick "thank you" and took a seat in one of the booths, facing the entrance, then pulled out a small stack of notes, including a sheet music notebook she had picked up at the campus bookstore. After a few minutes, Sojiro came over and placed a cup of her favorite blend on the table in front of her. She took a sip and smiled up at him. "Perfect as always, Boss. Although, and please don't take this as an insult to your quality, I believe that Akira's coffee is my favorite"

He laughed and gave her a wink. "Love will do that. Perfection's one thing, but it can't compare to love." She blushed a bit, but smiled at his words with a thoughtful expression. He let out a sigh and his expression soured slightly. "I'm guessing you already heard about his hand." She nodded with a slight frown. "Well, he seems like he already feels pretty bad about it, so don't go too hard on him. Wouldn't be the dumbest thing anyone's ever done for love."

She nodded with a cryptic smile. "Just as hard as he needs."

Futaba burst through the door, singing and dancing cheerfully as she swung around a small plastic bag. "It's not a game. I'm not a robot A.I. challenging you. Oh, Makoto!" She ran over and threw herself into the booth next to her de facto big sister, wrapping her in a happy bearhug. "Your music is sooo awesome! I'm having so much fun working with it!"

Makoto returned her embrace with an affectionate smile. "Thank you, Futaba. I'm glad you're enjoying it. You're doing some wonderful work on it." She glanced up to see a rather tired looking Akira enter behind her. "Excuse me, Futaba." The younger girl allowed her out of the booth and she approached Akira, who gave her a sheepish smile but seemed to flinch a little at her proximity. When she reached him, she quietly asked, "would you rather we talk before, or after practice?"

He swallowed hard and gave her a nervous look. "Before. Better to get it over with than wait."

She nodded. "Agreed. Futaba, is Akira's room bugged?"

The hacker shook her head. "Nope. I want you guys to have somewhere you can have ~private time~ without worrying if I'm listening."

"Perfect. Come with me." She took Akira's wrist and pulled him out of the café and across the street to the Sakura residence. When they reached his room she released him, then pulled out her phone and shut it off, indicating for him to do the same. When he had complied, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stern look. "Well, is there anything you'd like to say before I begin?"

Akira looked down and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Mainly, I just want to say I'm really sorry. I worried everyone and almost ruined practice, and I've put an unreasonable amount of expectation on you. Futaba was right... I kind of see you as perfect, and I know that isn't fair to you. The last thing I want is for you to feel like you need to live up to my unrealistic idea of how perfect you are. Because... well, who you really are, just being yourself, is better than perfect to me." 

Makoto smiled sweetly for a moment, then let out an exasperated sigh. "Very well. First, I want you to know that I'm not angry with you, although I feel I probably should be. What you did was reckless and foolish, and we were all terribly worried about you." She gave him a bit of a smirk. "But hey, we all get one, right?"

She put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Futaba called me, in tears, while she was getting coffee for you yesterday. She said you looked like you were going to die. I'm guessing mild shock from carrying a drum set with an injured hand? I assured her that you had been through much worse and would be fine, but honestly, I was worried sick about you. I was extremely relieved when you told me you had just overworked your fingers, but I was also quite annoyed with you. Not only should you know better, but I know that you do know better, because you stopped me from doing the same thing."

She sighed and sat down on his bed, patting the mattress for him to join her. "I'll admit, it can be a bit frustrating having you expect me to be this incredible virtuoso, but it isn't because I feel so pressured to be that perfect idea you might have of me. Believe me, I've been pushing myself to be perfect for most of my life, with or without your ideal. That's just who I am. It's frustrating because sometimes I feel like you're falling in love with a me that I know I'm not. Yes, I can play some Jaco and some Clarke, but I'm not them. They're legends, I'm... well, pretty good, but nowhere near their level."

She turned to him with a cheeky smile. "Besides, Jaco was a bit of a jerk. Anyone who goes around proudly proclaiming that they're 'the best bassist in the world' loses some points in my book for arrogance. Personally, I prefer Victor Wooten, or Les Claypool. They're both incredibly talented and creative, and they seem like nice, sweet people. Plus, they have a sense of humor. That matters to me. And sure, Silly Putty is a fairly challenging song, but it's hardly impossible. I enjoyed playing it because it's fun and charming, not because it let me show off."

She gently placed her hand over his. "But I think to some extent we all fall in love with our ideas of a person, just because that's who we know. Even our own sense of self is an idea apart from the conrete reality of our existence. I guess love is a continual process of our ideas of each other and ourselves working to get closer to who we really are. Besides..." She glanced over at him with an expression so full of love that his heart ached. "When you told me you had made your choice about what's beautiful to you, that was the most loved I've ever felt in my life." She cupped his cheek and gently pulled him into a kiss, only for a moment, but indescribably soft and sweet.

When she pulled back, she allowed herself to enjoy the sensation for a few moments, then closed her eyes with a pained sigh. "But that brings me to why I actually am upset with you. I told you I had made my choice too, and I meant it. I love you more than I could possibly describe. Everything about you, flaws and all, makes me so happy to know that you love me too. But you hurt yourself trying to improve yourself for my sake. I would hope that you know by now that that's the last thing I would ever want from you."

Her grip on his hand tightened slightly, and she sounded a bit choked up. "Every time you had to sacrifice yourself for our sakes killed me. I was up all night crying when we were worrying if our plan would work or if Akechi would really kill you. When I saw what the police had done to you, I wished, more than anything, that it could have been me they tortured instead. When you turned yourself in, I felt like our lives had ended before they could even begin."

She looked him straight in the eyes, tears beginning to form. "I want the days where you feel like you have to sacrifice yourself for me to be over. I want us to be normal teenagers, building a normal life together. This band is that to me. There's no life of death decision. There are no deadlines. Once we begin booking shows we can worry about ensuring that we're well rehearsed and ready, but for now, for once in our lives, we can take our time and enjoy ourselves. We have our whole lives ahead of us. And frankly, the thought of spending my entire life playing with you makes me so happy I could cry."

She brought up her hand and lightly brushed Akira's cheek. "Akira, I say with zero hyperbole, you are my single favorite musician of any type that I have ever worked with. I told you before that I loved playing with you, but let me be clear. I had more fun playing with you than I have in the many, many ensembles I've worked with. And, might I add, I am more proud of the music we wrote together than anything I have ever produced. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that I'm mind-bogglingly in love with you, but this stuff is really, really good, from as objective a perspective as I can take of my own work."

She turned away with a blush and a very pleased smile. "It also doesn't hurt that when we've pushed ourselves just far enough, one of us can step in and, well... suggest that we relax for a bit." She threw her head back with an ecstatic laugh at the memory. "God, I distinctly remember it not being that good before. I mean, it was good, but that was..." She gave him a devilish smirk, still blushing furiously. "...chocolate hazelnut quality."

Remembering the task at hand, Makoto reluctantly pushed down her rising desire. "Which sort of brings me to the one real question I have. You knew I was happy with your playing and very, very satisfied with you. You knew I would not approve of you injuring yourself practicing. And you must have been playing through a significant amount of pain to develop blisters that bad in one night." She fixed him with a full strength Niijima Glare. "So why the hell would you do something so god damned stupid?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Makoto is a bassist, of course she knows Primus.


	12. Call and Response

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira explains himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, shifty! More jazz bass?
> 
> Hell yeah, shifty!
> 
> Marcus Miller - Power https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XqTCAZK9rzY  
> Chick Corea - Steps (Christian McBride's open solo) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V39lXlaj830

Makoto Niijima was not one to curse often, or lightly. While Futaba, when provoked, was known to go into a venomous, profanity laced diatribe against particularly unpleasant players in her games, Makoto preferred to carefully weigh the value of her words, using spicier language only when she felt it was absolutely necessary. Akira could count on one hand the number of times he could recall her swearing, other than the occasional grunt of pain when struck by a Shadow or scream of ecstasy when they became particularly passionate together. As such, being the target of not only an "H" word, but also a "GD", Akira knew she was in no mood for nonsense. 

Nor was her question rhetorical. She expected an answer, and it had better be good. He took a moment to process all she had said and collect his thoughts, then turned to face the heat of her glare. "It's... kind of hard to explain."

She scoffed, and somehow managed to roll her eyes while maintaining her glare. "You managed to explain eight months of supernatural vigilante work to Sis over the course of a few hours. Try me."

He shook his head, trying to find the right words. "No, I mean... I don't really understand, myself. It started out the way I've already told you. I wanted to run through some of the songs again because I wanted to be able to keep up with you."

Makoto's glare softened and she put a hand on his shoulder. "Akira, music isn't a race. You don't need to 'keep up' with me. It's a conversation, and we each communicate in our own voices."

He raised an eyebrow, with a distinct feeling of déjà vu. "That's... exactly what Ryuji said."

She nodded with a bit of a satisfied smile. "Well, you should listen to Ryuji. He sometimes demonstrates a surprising degree of good common sense. I'm glad we've finally found something other than running that he's willing to apply himself to." She shook her head with a sigh. "Now if only we could get him to approach studying with the same passion."

She returned to her glare, this time with its intensity turned down to a low burn. "More importantly, Akira, if you weren't comfortable with your ability to play something, you should have told me. I know you have something of a mental block regarding admitting limitations, but we could have slowed down and run through it until you felt you had a good grasp of it. Or we could have tried something different that you felt more comfortable with. Doesn't that sound like a better option than working your fingers to the bone on your own?"

He nodded with a sigh of resignation. "You're absolutely right. I should have told you where I was having trouble, and I'm sorry that I was too proud, and too dumb, to open up to you. But I didn't intend to go so hard practicing, and that's what I'm having trouble understanding."

Makoto, sensing that they had arrived at a key point, raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head and thought for a moment. "Well, I figured I would take maybe twenty or thirty minutes to run through the parts that I specifically had trouble with. But... as I got into it, I couldn't stop. It was... kind of addicting. I'd finish a song, and think, 'I can handle one more. I want to do one more'. My fingers were hurting pretty bad by that point, but... I started seeing it as sort of a challenge, like I wasn't going to let a little pain keep me from doing what I really love." 

He flexed his fingers with a grimace. "Obviously, I failed to take into account that there would be long-term repercussions, but at that point, I don't think I would have cared. I just wanted to play with you more. Maybe it sounds a bit crazy, but making music with you is the best feeling in the world for me. Well, other than... you know." He turned away with a bit of a blush.

Makoto was by this point regarding him with wide eyes. "I... felt the same way. When we were playing, I just wanted it to go on forever. I think that was part of why I was so critical of myself. I felt like we were so close to perfect, if it weren't for these slight flaws in my playing, and maybe if we played it through one more time it would feel even better. If you hadn't stopped me, I think I would have wanted to play all night, way past the point I know I should rest."

She raised her knuckle to her chin. "There were two things stopping me from doing the exact same thing as you, after you left. One was the schoolwork I had to prioritize. The other was what you said, that we should build up our abilities gradually, that we didn't have to rush. I only wish that you had taken your own good advice."

Akira fell back on his bed with a deep sigh. "Hard agree. But I guess we at least figured something out. Playing together is dangerously enjoyable, and we need to look out for each other's limits."

Makoto lay down next to him and snuggled up. "Well, for now a couple hours may be pushing it, but once we've developed proper calluses, we could play... all night long. That is, until we decide to..." She leaned up to whisper in his ear as she ran her fingers softly along his jawline. "...play in different ways."

Akira brought a hand to his forehead and chuckled. "My god, Round Two."

Makoto wrapped an arm around him with a dreamy sigh. "Round Two." 

"Round Two," as they had immediately taken to calling it, had been something akin to a religious experience for both of them.

Makoto brought her leg up to rest on Akira's and lightly tapped her fingers on his stomach. "I would have thought that after that, you would know that you don't have to worry about satisfying me, in any way. But since that lesson didn't seem to stick, I believe we'll have to go for Round Three." 

She lightly held his hair, and pulled him into a long, passionate, assertive kiss (Akira had taken to referring to these types of kisses as "Queen Kisses" to himself, and they were close to the top of his long list of "Favorite Things About Makoto"). After a few moments, she pulled back and gave him a smirk to rival any of Joker's. "After practice." Then she stood up and straightened out her clothes.

"This is part of my punishment, isn't it?" Akira was desperately trying to return blood flow to his brain from the other parts it had been redirected to.

She turned to face him with an extremely pleased smile. "Yes. As for the rest..." She thought for a moment. "Two weeks, no practicing our music alone. You can work on chords, scales and covers, but if you want to play our songs you have to get someone else involved. I think Ryuji should be free most evenings, and you live with Futaba and Morgana, so you should be able to manage easily enough."

"Yes, Queen." He gave her a sad salute, resulting in a very satisfied giggle from her.

After a minute, when he was able to stand up again, Makoto held out her hand. "Let me see your fingers." He complied, and she took his hand in hers and gently felt his fingertips. "They seem to be healing up quite nicely. Whatever Dr. Takemi put on them worked very well. You should be fine to play. Other hand."

He gave her a confused look as he held out his right hand. "I haven't been finger picking, so I don't think..." He was unable to complete his thought, as Makoto's fingers snapped around the edge of his palm and twisted, forcing his upper body forward with his arm stuck out at an odd angle, held in her grip.

"And do not ever worry me like that again. Understood?" She put just enough pressure on his wrist to produce an uncomfortable sensation down his arm.

"Y-yes Queen!"

She released his wrist and nodded, satisfied. "Alright, then. Let's get to practice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, shifty! When you were writing chapter 7, did you think you'd end up with 5 chapters about Akira's stupid blisters?
> 
> Why no, shifty! I never saw that coming.


	13. Invention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futaba's pizza resistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might I interest you in some autotuned cats?
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9ao6stS2toU  
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=avLJF3PLP7E

As they left the Sakura residence, Makoto's hand found Akira's and their fingers intertwined. She turned to him with a warm smile. "I'm really glad we got that out of the way. I hated feeling like I had to be upset with you. It feels wonderful to go back to just happily loving you."

Akira let out a sigh of relief. "Same. Knowing you were going to give me the business felt like a guillotine hanging over my head. This feels like getting out of juvie all over again. Although..." He turned to her with a smirk. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just the tiniest bit afraid of you normally. Not in a bad way, but just knowing you could kick my ass if you wanted... it's kind of a turn on."

She gave him a satisfied grin, then stood up on her tip toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good."

With the tension between them cleared, they made the short walk back to Leblanc, hand in hand, with Makoto leaning affectionately into Akira's shoulder. Both had happy, contented smiles as they entered the attic. Ryuji had already arrived, and was tapping away quietly on the edge of the table as he listened to one of their songs on headphones. He glanced up and quickly waved without losing the beat.

Futaba was grinning as she held a microphone in front of Morgana's face. She looked up as they entered. "Well, you both look happy, and Akira isn't dead, so I'm guessing things went well." Makoto nodded and went to set up her amp next to Akira's.

Futaba returned her attention to Morgana, who looked a bit peeved. "C'moooon, Mona, pleeease. Do it for me."

The feliform thief rolled his eyes with an annoyed sigh. "I still don't get what you're trying to accomplish. Our calling card for Shido proved that recording equipment can't pick up my voice. It'd just be a bunch of meows."

She reached out and tickled behind his ear. "That's the point! Just trust me, this is gonna be awesome."

"Ugh. Alright, fine." He cleared his throat, then began to sing in a slightly warbly tone. "Who am I? Am I not unique? Maybe I'm not here at all."

When Futaba had gotten enough material, she leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the nose with an excited "thanks!" then ran over to her laptop and hit a few keys. A series of autotuned meows emerged from the speakers, and she collapsed onto her side, laughing hysterically. "On my god! We have got to use that on a song!" Morgana shook his head with a bit of a grumble, and Makoto and Akira shared a look. After a rather tense day, it felt good for the group to be able to have fun together again. It felt right.

When Futaba had recovered enough to speak, she sat up and gave them an excited grin. "May I have your attention please!? That was great, but THIS..." She pulled a small metallic box from her bag. "Is my pizza resistance!"

"Pièce de résistance," Makoto corrected her.

"Whatever!" Futaba replied, too excited to care. "I've been working on this ever since I found out you guys were starting a band, but I just got the last couple parts today."

Makoto walked over and examined the mysterious box with interest. "What does it do, Futaba?"

"An excellent question, Queen. But a better question would be 'what doesn't it do?' Basically, it's an interface between my programs and your guitars. I can put any effect you want on it. Think of it as a universal pedal. Overdrive, chorus, even a loop station! You name it, now you got it! And the best part?" She turned the box to reveal a pair of quarter inch jacks on each end. "Two inputs, two outputs. You and Akira can both plug into it and I can give you each your own effect!"

"Futaba, that's incredible! You're a genius!" Makoto took the box and turned it over in her hands, examining it with wide eyes.

"Pfft, you think I don't know that? But thanks for noticing." Futaba hopped off the couch and gave her an affectionate hug. When she pulled back, she tapped a finger to her chin in thought. "Of course, since it's emulating a lot of different effects, it won't sound exactly the same as the real hardware, but the difference is so minute, you'd have to compare the waveforms to actually notice."

Akira strolled over, and Makoto handed off the box for him to have a look. "So this is the 'big secret project' that we were scouring every corner of Akihabara to finish?"

She planted her hands on her hips and nodded with a huge grin. "Yep! Although I also wanted to check out some games. And get a picture at a maid café to make Ryuji jealous." Ryuji managed to flip her off without pausing the pattern he was working on. 

She giggled and called out loud enough to be sure he could hear her over the music. "You should have seen Fumiko-chan. She was ~sooo kawaii~. I think she was into Akira, but I told her his girlfriend would beat him up if she found out." She turned her cheeky grin to Akira and Makoto, both of whom were blushing intensely.

They were granted a merciful reprieve from Futaba's trolling by the arrival of Ann, who was clearly in high spirits, bobbing her head from side to side as she hummed the vocal melody to Last Surprise. When she spotted Makoto, she broke into a delighted smile and dashed over, grabbing both her hands and doing an excited little dance of joy. "I loooove this music! I'm so happy to be in this band! I never knew how much fun singing could be."

Makoto, slightly overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, nonetheless gave her a cheerful smile of her own. "I'm very pleased to see you all so enthusiastic about this project. I must admit, I'm rather excited to get to work together with all of you again."

With five of them (plus Morgana) now assembled, Akira decided to run down and brew them up some coffee (and hot chocolate for Ryuji) while they awaited the arrival of Yusuke and Haru. Once he had left, Ann took on a more serious demeanor. "So, you two had a talk?"

Makoto nodded with a contented smile. "Yes. I believe that I made my feelings clear, and I'm satisfied that he is truly sorry for worrying us and won't repeat the same mistake."

"Did you punch him?" Futaba asked enthusiastically.

Makoto looked at her in shock. "No, of course I didn't punch him."

Ryuji took off his headphones and laid down his sticks. "Nah, Makoto's into Aikido. She probably put him in some kinda wristlock or something."

She blushed a deep crimson. "I... may have put him in a wristlock."

"All right, Queen!" Futaba threw up her hands and cheered triumphantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a short chapter this time to transition from the Blister Saga to the full band practice.
> 
> Can you tell that I really like writing Futaba?


	14. Ensemble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overdrive UP!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have had to listen to this song about 20 times to accurately describe the parts. No complaints.
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BHF22axM520
> 
> "Punk is music for people who can't play their instruments." ORLY?
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vcgl3xwN9ig
> 
> Swing style.
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0YoMdqK7qnI

While Akira was busy brewing their coffee, Makoto surveyed the attic of Leblanc, mentally placing the instruments and members of their admittedly rather large group. It would certainly be a tight fit, but if they moved a few things around they should be able to manage. The shelves by Akira's old bed could be pushed into the corner by the stairs (the assorted trinkets that had once adorned them had all been relocated either to his room in Sojiro's house or to his hometown), allowing them to move the drum set back a couple feet and clear up the center of the room. The table they had used for meetings and study sessions could go between the bed and the desk, and the plant that Akira continued to maintain between the desk and the couch. 

Satisfied that they would have enough space, she turned to the others. "Ryuji, help me carry the shelves over here. Ann, Futaba, bring the table over there. We'll see if we need to adjust anything else once everyone's here, but for now that should give us some open space to work with." Everyone nodded, and Futaba threw her a quick salute. "Yes, Queen!"

As they got to work rearranging the furniture, Haru entered, waving a cheerful greeting to everyone, with a digital piano in a soft case slung over one shoulder and a smaller synthesizer in her other hand. She was followed by Yusuke, carrying a pair of congas and a large duffel bag filled with various other percussion instruments. After returning her greeting, Makoto pointed out where they should each set up.

As Haru was setting up her keyboard, Futaba approached, examining the instrument with evident interest. "Does this thing have MIDI capability?"

Haru tapped a finger to her chin, uncertain. "I believe so, but I've never made use of it, myself. I've mostly just stuck to the existing piano and organ settings, but if you have any ideas to expand my sound, I would be delighted to try them out. Please, feel free to take a look."

Futaba ran her fingers along the back of the keyboard until she found the 5 pin cable jack she was searching for. "Yep, perfect! I can plug you in and give you about a million different instruments to play. Just a sec." She rifled through her bag until she found a 5 pin to usb cable, and ran it from the piano to her laptop, then gave Haru an excited thumbs up. "I'm already wired into the monitors, so you'll come through there."

While Yusuke set up a stand for his congas and bongos and laid out his various implements of noise-making, Makoto helped Ryuji move his drum set closer to the wall. "You know, Ryuji, I feel I owe you something of an apology. When you said you had been in a punk band, I frankly didn't expect you to have the kind of versatility you've demonstrated in your playing."

Ryuji bashfully scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, uh, don't worry about it. I think lotsa people just think punk's music for people who can't play their instruments, and I guess I don't really come across as the whole 'creative type'. I just really like drummin'. Since it's fun for me I practice a lot, and I guess I just got pretty good over time, y'know?" 

Makoto nodded with a satisfied smile. "As with any skill, diligent practice is the key to improvement. I wish we could find a way to make studying enjoyable enough for you to apply such diligence."

Ryuji laughed and shook his head. "No offense, but I think that's a lost cause. I'll leave the book smarts to you and Futaba and Akira. Can't be good at everything, right?"

She sighed, but have him a sympathetic smile. "I suppose that is true enough, but don't sell yourself short. I haven't given up on you, so don't go giving up on yourself. I think you may be smarter than either of us gave you credit for, when you have the motivation to be."

Ryuji blushed a bit with an embarrassed smile. "Uh, thanks. Y'know, I think I kinda get why Akira says studyin' with you is so much fun. You're real good at bein' all supportive and nice about stuff."

It was Makoto's turn to blush, as she turned away with a bashful smile. "Oh, he said that? I'm glad. I'll admit that I find studying with him to be quite enjoyable as well."

Ryuji chuckled and shook his head with a grin. "Man, it's just like Ann said. You two were made for each other."

Akira re-entered the attic with a tray covered in mugs and laid it on the table, after carefully navigating the growing web of cables spreading out from Futaba's computer. "Coffee Dad says we're good to go. Is everyone set up?" He was met with a chorus of excited confirmations.

Haru, however, took a confused look around the room. "Um, excuse me. I'm not especially well versed in such matters, but if we intend to record, shouldn't there be microphones set up around the room?"

Futaba raised one finger as she stroked an imaginary goatee with her other hand. "Let me explain. You know how I had this place bugged pretty much from day one? Well, after Akira left, I kind of made it my testing ground for new bug setups. I figured since Sojiro was giving him a real room, I wouldn't have to worry about him and Queen getting freaky in here. Normally those guys would be pretty low audio quality compared to what you'd use for recording, but I've been tweaking the tech, so there are pretty much about a dozen studio quality mics all over this room. Impressive, I know. Oh, and obviously don't say anything in here you don't want me to know about." 

Having completed her presentation, she gave a proud little bow. Everyone applauded politely, but gave nervous glances to one another. Makoto came up and whispered to Akira as she got her coffee. "Good to know."

***

With everyone set up and ready to play, they had to decide where to start. While everyone seemed to have a favorite out of the songs they had worked on, Futaba insisted that Life Will Change would be a perfect test for her universal pedal interface. She quickly scrolled through settings until she came to a sharp, crisp moderate distortion for guitar and a gritty, punchy bass tone. "This one! Overdrive UP!"

Akira began the aggressive staccato octave chords of the intro, Ryuji matching his rhythm with a snappy hi-hat pattern. After a few measures, Makoto came in with a low, rumbling bassline that had Futaba bouncing in her seat with excitement, as Haru began a slow string swell into the verse. Ann, having fully internalized her "Be Panther" mantra, belted the lyrics with dramatic passion, as Makoto switched to a throbbing rhythm on the root notes and Haru brought in blazing string flourishes. 

As the pre-chorus hit, everyone but Makoto, Akira, and Ryuji dropped out, as she went into a simple but overwhelmingly effective descending line on bass. Futaba fell onto her back on the couch and kicked her legs in the air as she silently screamed in joy, barely recovering in time to quickly switch Haru's setting for an organ flourish going into the chorus.

Ann was, by this point, really getting into it, bouncing along to Makoto's bassline, and as the chorus hit she threw a triumphant fist in the air. "So you know that we're out there, swatting lies in the making! Can't move fast without breaking, can't hold on or life won't change!" Through it all, Akira maintained the dynamic pace and staccato rhythm, syncing perfectly with Makoto's subtle but driving pattern.

When they finished, Futaba hopped off the couch with an excited whoop and rushed over to pull Akira, Makoto, and Ann into a group hug, the former two careful not to smack anyone with their instruments. "AAAAAA! That sounded so. Freaking. Awesome!" As she released them, Akira and Makoto shared a look of mingled pride and desire, and both leaned in for a quick kiss.

"It kinda reminds me of the vibe when we were making the last run on a Palace." Ann was still practically vibrating with excitement.

"Hell yeah! That song is badass!" Ryuji cheered from behind his set, twirling a stick between his fingers.

"Oh my, that was wonderful!" Haru hopped up and down happily and clapped.

"Truly a remarkable performance." Yusuke brought a hand to his chin in a pose that could only be described as "artistic".

Haru gave him a slightly concerned look. "Oh, but Yusuke, it didn't look like you were playing at all on that song. Could you not think of a part?"

He shook his head and raised a finger with a mysterious smile. "The mark of a great artist is to know when nothing more must be added. Anything additional I contributed would have detracted from the unity of the whole. I am content with the arrangement as it stands."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~It's not a game, I'm not a robot A.I. Challenging you.  
> I'm not a phantom, I'm in your face and I'm here to seeee iiit throooough~


	15. Con Amore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto-logues part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Al Green - Let's Stay Together https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=COiIC3A0ROM
> 
> So I just found this band last night, and holy shit.
> 
> Sokoninaru - Tenohira De Odoru https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n7MyoBki9wk  
> Sokoninaru - Gou Ni Moyu https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl4Z5f4QwEY

"Afternoon classes." An innocuous phrase, perhaps conjuring for students the pleasant thought of a few more hours spent in bed. For Akira, however, it meant one very significant thing. Makoto could sleep over.

The rest of practice had gone exceptionally well, running through each of the songs they had worked on a couple times, and finding that the chemistry they had developed saving the world translated surprisingly well to communicating musical ideas. Eventually, Ann needed to rest her voice, not being used to sustained singing at full volume, but Makoto came prepared with a number of instrumentals for them to work on while Ann relaxed on the couch with Futaba and Morgana.

Actually getting to play with Makoto and the full band was an incredible experience. While he had been able to get the members to pull back or push forward elements of their playing with well thought out notes between songs, she seemed to be able to direct them almost effortlessly as she played, a skill that he was gradually picking up as he watched and played with her. If anyone went off tempo, she would calmly turn her head towards them, nodding and slightly dipping the neck of her bass in time with the beat.

As they progressed, Akira learned to direct the intensity of their playing and indicate places for fills and flourishes by turning to a musician and giving an exaggerated large or small strum, or a slight flourish of his hand between beats. Each time he did, he would turn back to Makoto to stay locked in the beat with her, and she would give him a smile, subtle but very pleased and proud. Clearly they had retained some of the leadership skills they had developed as Phantom Thieves, and everyone was ready and willing to follow the couple that had led them out of hell.

Only one thing was weighing on Akira's mind, as much as he knew that it shouldn't. Makoto and Ryuji had spectacularly good musical chemistry. Ryuji seemed to spend half the time with a focused eye on Makoto's playing, as he perfectly stuck with her beat and followed her cues and changes. Makoto, noting how well be matched her, would often turn to give him a nod to take a fill. While they had never been openly hostile to one another, they had always been very different people with little in common, but their shared interest in music seemed to have brought them together as only their shared mission in the Metaverse had before.

A rational person might note that Ryuji spent the other half of the time focusing intently on his rhythms and strumming patterns on guitar, and Makoto was invariably watching Akira's playing with a delighted smile whenever she wasn't providing direction to someone else. Akira's track record for being reasonable, however, had been below his normal baseline over the past couple days, and he found a hint of jealousy seeping into his thoughts as he stood in the hall between his room and Futaba's. As he chastised himself for his unwelcome feelings, his phone buzzed.

Futaba: Why are you pacing outside my room? Isn't Makoto waiting for you?

Akira: Yes. I guess I'm just a bit nervous.

Futaba: Nervous? What, can't get it up?

Akira: No, nothing like that.

Akira: Did something happen between Makoto and Ryuji?

Futaba: Seriously? You're jealous of Ryuji? How bad did you break your brain?

Akira: It's just, I don't think I've ever seen them getting along so well. When I came up to the attic, they were both laughing and blushing...

Futaba: I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure a ham sandwich could make Makoto blush if it looked at her the right way. Queen has many skills, but resistance to becoming flustered is not one of them. And you are literally insane if you think she'd ever cheat on you.

Akira: It's not that. Of course I trust her.

Akira: It's just, with the shit I pulled earlier, I'm kind of worried that she might regret choosing me.

Akira: Did you hear anything from her?

Futaba: Ugh, fine. But I guarantee this will come back to bite you in the ass. Don't say I didn't warn you.

*File Received: Akira_You_Are_Being _A_Jackass.mp3*

He nervously hit play, and heard part of a conversation from earlier.

"Y'know, I think I kinda get why Akira says studyin' with you is so much fun. You're real good at bein' all supportive and nice about stuff."

"Oh, he said that? I'm glad. I'll admit that I find studying with him to be quite enjoyable as well." He could hear Makoto's blush in her voice as she talked about him.

"Man, it's just like Ann said. You two were made for each other."

Futaba: There, satisfied?

Akira: Yes, thank you, Futaba.

Futaba: It's like I said, I gotta look out for you, even if it means telling you when you're being a big, dumb idiot.

Akira sighed in relief and looked up from his phone, only to find himself, for the second time that day, staring point-blank down the barrel of a Niijima Glare. "I was wondering what was taking you so long. Care to explain yourself?"

Futaba: WHAT DID I FUCKING TELL YOU ABOUT GETTING BIT IN THE ASS!?

***

"I honestly cannot even fathom the idea that you thought I would be unfaithful to you. With your best friend, no less. I thought you knew me better than that." Makoto was seated on Akira's bed, fixing him with an accusatory glare. While he could handle the healthy dose of controlled rage she was directing at him, the unmistakable tinge of hurt in her voice struck him to his core.

"Makoto, I swear it's not like that. I trusted you with my life a hundred times, and I trust you with my heart." Akira desperately pleaded with her.

"Is that so? Because from where I'm sitting, it would appear that you enlisted the aid of Futaba to spy on our conversation and see if I was flirting with Ryuji of all people." While she was managing to keep her anger in check, a crack in her voice betrayed just how deeply she was hurt.

He sighed and took on a conciliatory tone. "I know, and it was stupid of me, but I promise I never thought you were cheating. It's just... You two have gotten so much closer since you started playing together, and you work so well together... I guess I was worried that you might have some regrets about being with me instead."

Makoto shook her head, but her glare softened partially. "Akira, I don't know where on earth you got that idea. You never seemed to have these kinds of self-confidence issues before we started playing together. I love making music with you, but I hate that it seems to have given you this sense of inadequacy. I thought I made myself clear earlier that there's no one on earth who I would rather spend the rest of my life with than you."

She reached out a hand and pulled him down onto the bed beside her. "As for Ryuji, this is the first thing other than running and combat that I've seen him really apply himself to. I think this is good for him, and I want to support him in it as much as possible. Besides, bassists and drummers have something of an understanding that we work together to hold down the rhythm, and he is surprisingly good at following cues. From both of us, I might add. He was watching you just as much as he was watching me."

She chuckled and gave Akira a playful slap on the shoulder. "But he is decidedly not my type. Nietzsche (Who was mostly pretty terrible on relationships, and especially on women) did say one thing that I rather like. 'When considering who to marry, ask yourself: Do you believe you are going to enjoy talking with this person into your old age. Everything else in a marriage is transitory, but most of the time that you're together will be devoted to conversation.' I don't think I could handle more than about a week's worth of conversation with Ryuji. But you?" She turned to him with a loving smile. "I can think of nothing that would make me happier than spending my life in conversation with you."

"But for right now, we need to have a conversation about this persistent, unfounded sense of inadequacy you seem to have had since we started playing together." She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Five hundred and ninety-one." He gave her a confused look. "You asked me, the first time we played, exactly how good at bass I was. Well, the last year before I quit, I was ranked five hundred ninety-first nationally. That's quite good, especially for a fourteen-year-old, and I'm very proud of it, but it means there were five hundred and ninety who were judged to be better. And that was when I was practicing daily. I'd be lucky to crack the top thousand at the moment. And that's just in Japan."

She gave him a serious look. "So, now that I've answered your question, let me ask you the same thing. Exactly how good at guitar are you?"

He looked away sheepishly. "I... don't really know. I was never ranked or anything. I tried putting together a couple bands back in my hometown, but they never really went anywhere. I'm... mostly self-taught."

She cupped his cheek and turned his head to face her, smiling gently at him. "I suspected as much. It's your chord voicings. They're different from what someone who was formally trained would normally do. Not in a bad way, mind you. I actually rather like them, they add a bit of your own character to your playing. But Akira, you're fantastically talented, and not just for someone without formal training. Even technically, you play better than a lot of guitarists I've worked with, but the real treasure of your style is your taste. Lots of musicians take years, if not decades, to learn to play as tastefully as you do. I think it has something to do with the way you don't say much, but when you do, you always seem to know just what someone needs to hear."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him down until they were lying together. "Do you know what's even more important, to me at least? You listen to me, and you communicate with me. A lot of guitarists seem to think bass is their secretary or something. 'Just play walking fourth notes. Just play eighth notes on the roots.' You let me have my own voice, which is why even if my chops aren't at their peak, this is the music I'm proudest of. Because you know what?" She gently poked his nose. "That's all subjective. Ultimately, it comes down to the individual. Remember? 'Exactly how good are you at this instrument' is kind of a silly question. Or rather, the answer is the playing itself. Do you know what matters to me? How good do you think I am? Because I think you're wonderful."

Akira reached out and brushed her cheek. "I think you're better than perfect. I'd rather play with you than with anyone else in the world. Your playing is an extension of everything I love about you. Brilliant, powerful, elegant, a little shy at times, and irresistibly playful if you know where to look. I've never played with anyone that I've remotely enjoyed as much. I think that's why I find it so hard to feel like I'm worthy to play with you. You're the best, as far as I'm concerned, and I just feel like I need to be the best I can be to stand beside you."

Makoto snuggled a bit closer and ran her fingers through his hair. "Can I tell you a secret? When we started dating, and I guess even before that, I felt very inadequate. It wasn't just that I thought I was the 'wrong type' of girlfriend. You were just so impressive. In the Metaverse you seemed almost all-powerful, with countless Personae at your disposal, and you were so confident in leading us all. And in the real world you always seemed to be making friends and helping people. It took me quite a while to accept that someone I looked up to so much could really love someone like me. I spent a long time wondering what I could do to feel worthy of you, but eventually I realized that it wasn't productive to worry about whether I deserved your love, because the fact of the matter is that you do love me, and that's enough."

She leaned up and gave him a soft, gentle kiss, then nestled her head beneath his chin. "So I know it can be tough to be in love with someone you look up to, because I am. I know it might not happen overnight, but I want you to stop worrying about whether you deserve or are worthy of my love, because I have freely given it to you."

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him, her eyes shining. "I am so in love with you, whatever you want to do is alright with me. Because you make me feel so brand new, and I want to spend my life with you." Her pitch wasn't exactly perfect, and her English was still a bit rough, but to Akira, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard.

He let out a soft chuckle and smiled warmly at her. "Is Al Green another artist I shouldn't be surprised that a bassist would know?"

She blushed and gave him a shy grin. "Actually, I was researching romantic songs last night for this, and found Let's Stay Together particularly appealing."

He laughed and pulled her into a warm, loving embrace. "You are way, way better than perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let *clapping emoji* Makoto *clapping emoji* make *clapping emoji* emotional *clapping emoji* monologues *crying emoji* *heart emoji*


	16. Coda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Showtime! (for real this time)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MONA - Take Your Heart EP
> 
> 1\. Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMvzNQ2Itqg  
> 2\. Last Surprise https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eFVj0Z6ahcI  
> 3\. Beneath the Mask https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=suOoYogz_f0  
> 4\. Whims of Fate https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zVr4QzdwjHQ  
> 5\. Life Will Change https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BHF22axM520  
> 6\. Rivers In the Desert https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sdDiHZiBtpE  
> 7\. With the Stars and Us https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1q34aIo8AfQ
> 
> Takamaki Ann - Vocals  
> Kurusu Akira - Guitar  
> Niijima Makoto - Bass  
> Sakamoto Ryuji - Drums  
> Okumura Haru - Keys  
> Kitagawa Yusuke - Additional Percussion, Album Art  
> Sakura Futaba - Additional Arrangements, Sound Manipulation, Engineering

"Basically, think of theory not as a set of rules you need to follow, but as tools to help you structure your own ideas, and translate them to other musicians you're working with. Like grammar; the more you master the core concepts, the easier it is to play around in intentionally inventive ways." When Akira asked Makoto to teach him some more formal music theory, her response had been a bit unexpected: an excited hug, a shower of kisses, and one of the happiest smiles he had ever seen on her. And so, for the next couple weeks, whenever they were able to spend time together, they made time between their other studies and their "other other studies" to go over modes, chord inversions, and improvisation. 

While having Makoto as a teacher, rather than a study partner, was a bit of a new experience, Akira quickly found it to be very much to his liking, especially her proud smiles at how quickly his skills were developing. Since he already had excellent melodic sensibilities and considerable manual dexterity (she couldn't help but blush a bit at that part) she focused on concepts that would expand his ideas of where he could go in his playing, or give him the words to describe his own style better. "Take that chord you like to do, just barring across the bottom three strings. It took me a bit to figure out what it was, 1, major 3, major 6, but it's actually the first inversion of the minor chord, which is why even though it uses the major third it has a minor feel. See, instead of A, C, E, you're playing C, E, A, so it's an A minor triad, 1st inversion."

Since he was still on punishment for the blister fiasco, and had zero interest in provoking any further ire from Makoto, she gave him pieces that she felt would help him develop his skills in the directions he wanted as "homework", either jazz standards or more contemporary songs that he had expressed interest in. Of course, with Futaba living just down the hall, he was still able to work on their own music, but based on some secret agreement between her and Makoto, she was invariably busy with some game or anime until he could prove he had completed all the exercises he had been assigned. Not that he had a problem with that; the pride in Makoto's eyes when he could show her the fruits of his practice was more than enough to keep him diligently at work.

They had a breakthrough when Makoto noticed him slightly stumble on the upstroke of an arpeggio. She brought a knuckle to her chin in thought, then held out her hand. "Give me your pick. Use your thumb on the downstroke and your index finger on the upstroke. When you strum, press your thumb and finger together, and use your nail for the downstroke and the tip of your finger for the upstroke." The shift to playing without a pick was like a new world opening up. Akira immediately appreciated the tonal control that actually feeling the strings gave him, as well as the new chord voicings it enabled. "Just remember that your right hand hasn't developed calluses yet. Do. Not. Overwork. It." He nodded solemnly, having no intention of repeating past mistakes.

As Akira's skills rapidly developed and Makoto got back to her previous levels of practice, they went from having excellent chemistry to being practically one mind with two instruments. The more they played together, the more natural their interactions became, and the more they were able to confidently improvise and experiment around each other. Their ever deepening bond of nonverbal communication had the added benefit that sex continued to get even better, which, after Round Two, neither of them had even considered possible. About the only things keeping them from skipping directly to their other other studies were their shared diligence, and the fact that playing together was becoming a kind of foreplay itself, making the moment they decided to relax for a bit that much better.

Practice with the other Thieves was coming along nicely as well. Any evening that Akira didn't have a prior commitment, he would try to get at least one of them over to Leblanc to work on their interplay. Makoto's schoolwork, Ann's modeling, Yusuke's art, and Haru's business all made arranging full practices a challenge, but they eventually settled on Saturday evenings as a regular time that everyone was available. In between, they would arrive in ones or twos, with Futaba and usually Ryuji almost always present. Ryuji, especially, was clearly taking the project as seriously as any of them had ever seen him approach anything, and it showed in the results. Every practice, he was more confident and more technical, keeping up with the blistering progress of Akira and Makoto.

Full practices were a thing of beauty, with a tangible excitement approaching that of their pre-infiltration meetings as Phantom Thieves. Makoto and Akira had resumed the mantle of co-leaders, and directed their team with confident ease, pushing everyone to improve their performance and chemistry through the sheer respect and admiration they all held for the couple. The core rhythm section of Makoto, Akira, and Ryuji was solid as a rock. Ann was quickly becoming a fiery and captivating frontwoman, while Haru and Yusuke brought in clever and tasteful flourishes to fill out the sound. Haru and Futaba had even managed to teach Morgana to hit a few cues for Futaba's string and horn arrangements on Haru's small synthesizer.

By the third week, they had their songs tight enough to be content with the quality of recordings. With Futaba as de facto engineer, they were able to put together an EP that they were proud to put their names to. This, however, brought them to a decision that they hadn't considered. As they finalized the mastering for Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There, Haru put a thoughtful finger to her chin. "Oh, but what will we call ourselves?"

Everyone looked around for somebody to throw out the first idea. To no one's surprise, it was Ryuji who broke the silence. "Why not 'The Phantom Thieves of Hearts'? It'd be, like, a tribute! Plus, it sounds totally badass!"

Futaba rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Nah. Too on the nose. And it's kinda a mouthful for a band name."

"Alright, just 'The Phantom Thieves' then! That sounds pretty cool, right?" Ryuji fired back.

Makoto put a knuckle to her chin. "I'm afraid I agree with Futaba. I'm not sure we want to have a direct connection to the Phantom Thieves name. While Akira has been exonerated, we've seen that the authorities still take something of a dim view of our activities, and the association with the band could draw unwanted attention to us."

Akira thought for a moment, then gave her a smirk. "Queen's Guard?"

Makoto blushed, but Futaba stuck out her tongue. "Blech, way too sappy, loverboy. Besides, there are already like a million bands with Queen in the name. Queen, Queens of the Stone Age, Queensrÿche, you get the idea."

Ann turned to Morgana with a cheeky grin. "Tilefish Poêle?"

The feline hid his head beneath his paws. "You guys are never gonna let me live that down, aren't you?"

Makoto gave Akira a playful smirk of her own. "Nasty Crime Boy?" 

Futaba put a finger to her chin. "Ooh, I actually like that one. But half the band are girls, so maybe not." Then her eyes lit up. "Oh! I've got it!" She grabbed Morgana and held him up. "MONA, all caps! It's short, it rolls off the tongue, and..." She gave Makoto and Akira a devious grin. "...if anyone asks, we can tell them it means 'Makoto on Akira'."

Makoto, blushing deeply, gave her a look that would not be argued with. "We definitely will not be telling anyone that. But I do rather like the name MONA. What does everyone else think?" Everyone else thought MONA was a solid name for a band, so it was decided.

***

Café Leblanc was by no means an ideally designed venue for a seven piece band, Makoto was quickly realizing as she ran a tape measure across the small area between the end of the bar and the hallway leading up to the attic with a frustrated frown. They would need to keep the drum set partially in the hall, Futaba's computer could be set up behind it, as long as the cables could reach Haru's keyboard, and Ann could stand a bit to the front, by the last booth, but guitar, bass, keys, and percussion would be a very tight fit. Perhaps if she and Akira sat on their amplifiers they wouldn't take up as much space, or if Haru used the end of the bar to set up her keyboard...

While she grappled with the logistics of setting up, Akira drummed up interest among his confidants, sending out messages to the large group of friends he had made in Tokyo. While Iwai and Takemi expressed some reticence about closing early, everyone was interested in seeing the debut performance of the group they were all fairly certain consisted of the entirety of the Phantom Thieves. By that evening, Sae, Takemi, Kawakami, and Chihaya were sharing a booth, while Ohya (who appeared to have had a few beforehand) flirted with Iwai at the bar. Mishima was discussing something excitedly with Shinya, who seemed interested, as well as Hifumi, Shiho, and Eiko, who did not, while Yoshida had a quiet but pleasant conversation with Sojiro.

Once the band had set up, they went into a mellow, jazzy ballad. As Ann stepped to the front, she blew a kiss to Shiho and gave her a wink. Eiko turned and excitedly whispered something to Shiho while pointing to Ann, and she nodded with a blush and a bashful smile, at which Eiko gave her a high five. "Where have you been? Been searching all along. Came facing twilight on and on, without a clue." As Ann began to sing, Eiko turned her attention to Yusuke, giving him an appraising look, then leaned over to whisper a question to Hifumi, who shrugged and gave her a noncommittal nod, at which Eiko pumped her fist with an excited grin. Hifumi, the whole time, had her eyes on Makoto and Akira, with a mysterious smile on her lips.

At the grown-up table, they were having a quiet conversation. "So, how do you all know the band?" Sae asked in a serious tone. 

Kawakami gave Akira a furtive glance, then hesitantly began. "I was Akira and Ann's homeroom teacher, and Makoto and I chaperoned their Hawaii trip last year." 

Chihaya looked up from laying out a set of Tarot cards on the table. "Akira helped me deal with some trouble I was having with a religious organization a while back."

Takemi ran her finger along the edge of her cup and gave Sae a playful smirk. "I'm his doctor, and he helped me out with some experimental treatments I was developing. What about you?"

"I-I'm Makoto's sister." Something about Takemi's tone and body language made Sae unusually flustered.

"Oh! So you must be the famous prosecutor, Sae Niijima." Takemi's eyes widened slightly and she leaned in with a smile. "I've read about you. I'm Dr. Tae Takemi, but you can call me Tae."

Chihaya flipped over a pair of cards, revealing Judgement next to Death, and she gave Sae and Tae an intrigued glance.

When they had finished their set, to cheers from the teens and polite but enthusiastic applause from the adults, Shiho immediately ran up and pulled Ann into an excited hug and, after a quick glance around, a kiss on the cheek, then led her out of the café, hand in hand. 

As Makoto and Akira began to put their gear away, Hifumi approached them with an uncharacteristically bashful smile. "You were both very impressive, although I suppose that shouldn't be surprising from either of you. Tell me, do you have... plans for after?"

Akira whispered something to Makoto, and she blushed a deep crimson, but gave him an enthusiastic nod, then turned to Hifumi with an excited smile. "We do, but... if you'd like to join us, you're welcome."

Hifumi turned equally red and gave her an equally excited smile. "I think... that I would very much enjoy that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Traditonally, comedies end with a wedding, so in lieu of that, I hope you enjoyed the shipstravaganza.
> 
> While this is the end of the movement, it's not the end of the piece, and I plan to come back with some more ideas for this, but for now I'm going to take a break and work on other stories. It's been 16 chapters in a month and I need to recharge.
> 
> Special thanks to Viro, BoBoK, Meemo, and everyone who left comments! You all made my day and were a great motivator for continuing this nonsense.

**Author's Note:**

> LET *clapping emoji* MAKOTO *clapping emoji* PLAY *clapping emoji* BASS *clapping emoji* *party horn emoji*


End file.
